


C'mon Man, Roller Derby Is Not A Crime

by Judysupremus



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Cassandra Cain is Black Bat, Chloè redemption, Damian Wayne Has Feelings, Damian Wayne is Robin, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, F/M, Fluff, Hawkmoth mentioned, I'll update tags with each chapter, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Let the identity shenanigans begin, Marinette charms everyone, Miraculous are finally mentioned, Multimouse, Not Beta Read, Robin is an ass, Robin is rude, Roller Derby, Tim Drake is Red Robin, minor injury, sad and fluffy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:53:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27462247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Judysupremus/pseuds/Judysupremus
Summary: Jason stumbles upon Gotham City Siren's Roller Derby team.Marinette moves to Gotham after the disappearance of the butterfly miraculous. A chance meeting with Harley Quinn snowballs into much more than just kicking ass in skates.I wrote this before finding out that Harley Quinn kicks ass in skates in Birds of Prey! WTF
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne
Comments: 115
Kudos: 599





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still trying to get a feel of the characters so expect them to be ooc.
> 
> Jason meets Marinette on her way to a match.  
> Damian knows Marinette from University classes.
> 
> Tim and Jason are the only ones who know she skates. Tim because he's nosy.
> 
> I've written with the intention of a Daminette romantic relationship but it's not the point.  
> I also plan on adding Cass and Stephanie but I'm not sure where.
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> *I'm sorry her derby name is not very original -_-*

Dusk in the city of crime was warm and dreary. The life and color slowly drained from sight as people retreated to the safety of their homes. Jason Todd did not hold to the illusion of the night being anymore dangerous than the day, not for him.

He had been tailing two suspects for several blocks and was quickly growing bored. They were obviously lackies and he was on the cusp of ditching them when there was a commotion.

A petite young woman had just plowed them both over. "Désolé! I'm so sorry! Let me help you!" Jason watched as she all but manhandled one of them to his feet. 

One of them grabbed her arm and leered at her but she kicked him in the shin and twisted out of his grasp. Jason intervened when the other man pulled out a knife behind her. He clipped the man's jaw with his fist and hit him forecfully in the gut. Turning to the woman he saw she had clocked the other with her duffle bag and kicked his legs out from under him.

She turned to Jason and with a guarded look she said "Thank you! I know I'm clumsy but I didn't think they'd really try to hurt me just for knocking them over." She redid her dark hair in a ponytail and adjusted her bag back in place.

"No problem but you should probably be more careful. Gotham is dangerous, especially to small fries like you." He stood with his hands in his hips, trying to keep them in her line of sight. She had given several sweeps with those big blue eyes as if she was sizing him up.

"I'm usually not in such a hurry. Fuck! I'm late. Thank you again!" And she was off like a bullet. Jason watched and she slipped around people and leapt over trash cans. She stopped abruptly and cupped her hands to her mouth to tell at him. "Don't underestimate small fries!"

He laughed and decided not to follow her.

\--

Jason had since seen her rushing along several other days. She was smart enough to change the route she took but it was clear she was going to the same destination. 

This time he decided to follow her. She walked quickly but quietly in black combat boots and skinny jeans. She wore the same red leather jacket and carried the same duffle bag. He was surprised when he turned the corner and she was standing right in front of him.

"Hey, pipsqueak. Staying out of trouble?" He used what Dick called his "charming smile". She simply raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know, you tell me. Why are you following me....?"

"Jason. And I was curious what a pixie like you is doing running around past your bedtime." 

To his surprise she laughed. "Seriously, you can't be much older than me. And if you're going to continue to be a nuisance you can call me Nette." She started walking again and he fell in step with her. "At least you keep the scum away if I'm seen with you."

"I take offense to that. How do you know I'm not the scummiest one around here?" 

She laughed yet again. "You're rough but not scum. There's a difference, Jason, as I'm sure you know."

"And how can you tell?"

"Your clothes appear dirty but are in fact very well cared for and fit you perfectly. Your hair is what some might call 'artfully disheveled' - it's long and unruly but well groomed." 

After a few seconds she realized how that might sound. She paled and looked at him with wide eyes. "No offense, but I'm not interested in you like that. I just notice those kinds of things." 

"It's cool, cupcake. I didn't think that at all." He said with a laugh and relaxed.

They walked in silence as she led them to a shadier part of the city. Not the bad but the grey in-between. He was about to say something when they stopped in front of a large shabby warehouse.

"You can come in and wait if you like. I don't recommend getting nosy, though. Harley will kick your ass then kick you out in a second." She stated matter of faclty as she pushed the door open. Nette directed him to a set of derelict stands and told him to find a seat.

"Hey, Sunshine! Are you ready for your debut?" The Harley Quinn came up and hugged her. She glanced at Jason and let out a whistle. "Found yourself a boyfriend, Sunshine?"

"No, just a brother. Harls, this is Jason. He's been keeping an eye on me when I walk here and it's kept the thugs away. I figured he could stay and watch the bout."

Jason and Harley eyed each other as Nette walked away with a small wave. 

"You be good to her." They said at the same time and Harley laughed. "She's the sweetest thing in Gotham and I'll kick your ass if you give her trouble. Don't ruin this for her."

Jason put his hands up. "I really have no idea what you're talking about. She just runs down the streets like a bat outta hell and I'm curious."

"I don't want no bats around here either. So keep your mouth shut." Then she smiled at him. "Nette is something special and I'm glad she's making friends. I gotta go but make sure you get a good seat!"

\--  
It was 45 minutes later and Jason was crammed in the bleachers with a crazy crowd of people and loud music blaring in his ears. Before him was a roller derby flat track. He watched as an mc announced the teams and the women skated out as their names were called. Loud cheers rang out for the Gotham City Sirens with Harley as their main skater. 

"And now give a raging welcome to the Siren's newest rookie! She's small but fast and has a killer hip check: Lady Bruiser!" 

Nette came skating out and did a couple of laps to wave to the audience. She wore neon green skates, glittery black tights, and black shorts underneath a red tunic. Over the tunic she wore a short black button up shirt with the Rouge's logo, yellow trim, and the lucky number 7. Nette's elbow and knee pads matched her skates while her wrist guards were black. 

Jason was sure the colors weren't meant to be Robin themed but it was hard to think of what else would inspire those colors. Her helmet was red and sported black polka dots along with a painted number seven.

"This is the first match of the season and there are five teams. There will be matches every two weeks within the city until the championship in November. There will also be scheduled away games in our sister cities." The chanting of the crowned drowned him out for a moment. "I know, I know. Renegade matches are held once a month, so come back in three weeks if that's what you're into! NOW LET'S SKATE!"

Jason watched for an hour as 10 women dodged, checked, ducked, and skated their way around the track. Lady Bruiser didn't play until the second half but by then he had the basics. 

He understood the upper hand the Siren's had by making her their Jammer. As long as she could dodge, and damn could she dodge, she could lap the rest of them with ease. Nette was smaller than most of them and was graceful on the track.

Jason approached the merch booth after match, that they won, of course. "So, how much to make me as pretty as Lady Bruiser?" He joked to Harley. She snorted and Nette let out a loud laugh. 

Up close he could see the smokey eyeshadow and winged eyeliner. It made her blue eyes look bigger as they sparkled with joy. "Oh, Jason! Did you enjoy the match?"

"It was certainly something I've never seen before. I have to say you're pretty wicked on the track!" Jason held up his hand for a high-five which she met enthusiasticly.

"I can't make you look as pretty as me but maybe a selfie?" 

\---

A week later and Jason made the mistake of texting Nette after breakfast. Dick had lingered and snooped over his shoulder. He saw the selfie they had taken the night before.

"Who is that absolute cutie?" Dick made a grab for the phone but Jason moved it out of reach. Unfortunately, Tim snagged it and got a good look.

"She's too young for you, Jason. Can't be much older than Damian. But Dick is right, she's gorgeous." He cut off when Jason snatched his phone back.

"It's not like that! Nette walks around shady parts of town and gets followed by creeps. I stepped in and we got to talking." He tucked his phone away in one of his many hidden pockets. "If Bruce can adopt kids I can adopt a sister."

Bruce looked up from the newspaper, startled. "Who is adopting someone? You guys already have sisters."

"Tt. No one is adopting anyone, Father. It's just the usual antics." Damian had tried to stay out of the conversation. But Jason had called the girl Nette and he hopes it's a coincidence.

\--

"So, what are you interested in, Damian?" Marinette leaned close to him so they could look at the prompt list together.

"What you're doing at Gotham University and not somewhere in Paris. I assume you are, given your accent." 

Marinette looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. He sat with his arms loosely crossed and looked at her like she was puzzle to solve.

"I am from Paris but I was asking about the list for our project. If you want to get to know me find a way other than interrogating me. I like cafes and the open parks around campus."

"Fine. What are our options?" He sat up and took the list from her hand.

"It's just Drawing 103. I'm sure we can find something to hold your interest." She rolled her eyes at him. 

Their project was announced at the end of the class so they moved out to one of the open lawns of the campus.They were about to sit down when Damian realized she saw people watching them.

"Just ignore them. They are staring at me, not you." He tried to make her comfortable but she just glared back at them.

"Why does that matter? It's so rude!" 

He sighed and tried not to tut at her - Alfred said it was insulting. "Would you like to go somewhere else? We'll be watched wherever we go, so we might as well go somewhere nice."  
-  
Tim slouched over his laptop, determined to finish a report for work before he would go back to his research on Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

At first he could find the usual minimum. Only child of two bakers, attending GU on a scholarship, up and coming designer whose worked with big names like Jagged Stone, good grades, and upstanding citizen. 

But why come to Gotham and then join Harley Quinn's roller derby team? There was also an abnormal amount of general news missing from her last years of public education. Very little could be found about Paris other than election results and vague city planning. 

In a brief surface for air and a stretch Tim looked up to see Damian sitting in the same cafe...with a girl. He snapped a photo and considered saving it for leverage but dismissed the thought. Surely someone will recognize Damian and photos will be passed around the internet. 

Tim sent it to the family's group chat with the knowledge that Damian wouldn't check it till later. He did not anticipate Jason's reaction.  
-  
Marinette's phone began to ring and she quickly silenced it. "Sorry. I made a nosy new friend last week and -" her phone rang again. 

"Please excuse me, Damian. He's not the type to call especially twice in a row." She accepted the call and turned to look out the window. " Ello Jason."

"What did my brother bribe you with?"

"What?"

"Did he promise you those new green Moxi skates if you went a date with him?"

"Jason, I don't und-"

"I'll kill him if he's bothering you! Just say the word, Sunshine Sprite!

"Kill him?! And that name is terrible! Honestly! He didn't bribe me -" Jason cut her off again before she could ask if Damian was his brother.

"Go sit with Tim until I can come get you. I'll be there-"

"Enough! Who the hell is Tim and how do you even know where I am?" Marinett raised her voice over him and pinched the bridge of her nose.

At hearing Tim's name Damian did a quick sweep of the cafe, only to see him lurking behind his laptop in the corner. He must've left the office to get more coffee. 

Damian glared menacingly at Tim and Marinette followed his gaze. Tim gave a nervous wave.

"Jason, I am in no danger! Please, do not come get me... Jason? Are you there?" She pulled her phone away to look at it. "He hung up on me!" She looked at him with wide eyes and her mouth slightly open - Damian tried not to laugh.

"Yes, that does sound like something Todd would do. We're not going to get anything done on this project now. Would you like to meet Drake?" 

"Sure, I guess..." They gathered their bags and made themselves comfortable at Tim's table.

"Marinette, this is my brother Tim Drake. Drake this is my classmate, Marinette."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope Damian has been courteous." Tim said as they shook hands and Marinette gave him a soft smile.

"Damian has always been nice to me. I admit he didn't seem keen to make friends last semester but" at this she point she shrugs "no one appeared to want to be his friend. Something about the 'Ice Prince of Gotham'."

"So what makes you so special then?" Tim is interested now. Maybe she'll give something away about what she's hiding.

"Pfft. Nothing other than the fact that I agreed to be his partner on a project." She rolled her eyes and tilted her head back to drink the last of her coffee. 

Marinette was grateful the cup was basically empty. Standing behind her was Jason. He loomed over her with a scowl.

"Tt. Sit down Todd, people are staring at us - more than usual." 

"Not until you tell me what your intentions with Pixie are, Demon." 

Marinette's eyes follow Jason as he wedges a chair between her and Damian. "Pixie, really? Her name is Marinette and I don't think she appreciates your possessive friendship."

"Oh? And what do you know about friendship?"

The two started arguing with thinly veiled animosity. Tim returned Marinette's questioning gaze with a tired shrug.

"Are they always like this?"

"I'm afraid so. Now is probably your best chance of getting away. Runaway and never return." 

Marinette grinned at his joke. "I think you might be my favorite!" She ducked out and made it all the way outside only for Jason to see her through the large storefront window.

"Come back here, young lady!" Jason jumped from his chair and made a start for the door - only to trip over Tim's messenger bag. She took of running.

"Tt. Get off the floor, Todd. You're such a disgrace."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the roller derby names are from a random generator. There are some real gems out there, folks. I'll probably share my favorites on tumblr.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Damian and Marinette's art project is simple. It's essentially two truths and a lie. They present 3 objects for their partner to draw as a still life and then turn in a paper explaining which item doesn't belong and why.

All the items are already owned by the partner but one is misleading. The exercise is meant to engage the artist is knowing their subject better and, alternately, their audience. 

The assignment proves difficult for both of them. 

Marinette's first desire is to include something about being Ladybug. But that is not a smart thing to do. She wants to challenge herself as well as Damian. She circles her apartment deep in thought.  
-  
When Damian thinks about the items that would best represent him he thinks of his katana and his Robin mask. Those must be dismissed for obvious reasons. At this point he will be presenting Marinette with nothing but his favorite brush.

\--------

It's been three weeks since Jason followed Nette to the league opening match. The Sirens skated against the Brawlers the next week and lost. Last week they didn't skate. But this week, this week is a renegade match.

The Sirens will skate against the Rogues and in a renegade match anything goes. There are no penalties but skaters can expect to get what they've given - clothesline an opponent and anticipate an elbow to the face.

Winning a renegade match will not give a team a better chance of winning the championship but it will garner respect in the league. And in a city like Gotham respect can be everything.

Marinette agreed to play in the match. While roller derby helps her let off steam and excess energy she still has a high tolerance for adrenaline. Years of superheroing will do that to a girl.

She's not surprised to see Jason right at the front of the crowd. There are so many people in the building the noise is deafening. She doesn't hear him but Jason whistles when her name is announced and she enters the track. Marinette gives him the biggest grin she can with her mouth guard in.

Harley puts her in the first few plays under the assumption it will be less bloody. Marinette goes a few rounds hip checking and tripping opponents as a blocker but it's clear the Rogues want to get her out of the game fast. She'd feel flattered if it didn't mean crashing and bruising her tailbone after taking a skate to the back of the knee.

So she accepts the helmet cover with a giant star on it from Stone Cold Jane Austen that designates her as a jammer. The next few circuits are blissful for Lady Bruiser and they make it to half time just two points behind.

Play time resumes and Marinette is on fire with adrenaline. When she makes it to the front of the pack Harley and Jane whip her and she speeds her way back around. Marinette is in the middle of the pack when Blackout Canary, the Rogue's jammer, catches up. She's got a good 50 lbs on Lady Bruiser, who might be 100 lbs thanks to her muscles, and it plays in her favor.

Ironically, the move Canary executes is legal. She hip checks Lady Bruiser and sends her over the boards into the crowd. The crowd push her back onto the track and she takes off again hoping to catch up. She makes it back into the pack but gets clotheslined immediately and goes down hard. 

She manages to get back up and skate to the middle but it's clear Lady Bruiser is done for the night. 

\---

Jason is sitting with Marinette by the merch booth as she autographs a few of her player cards. "Damn, Nette! As impressive as that was I don't like the idea of you doing it again."

She good naturedly rolls her eyes at him. "I'll be fine, Jay. It should make you feel better to see I can take care of myself." She stops to pose for a few photos with her teammates then sits down slowly next to him again.

"You need to go home and ice those bruises, doll, practice is going to be rough next week." Harley is proud of her team and her smile makes up for some of her harsh words during the match.

Marinette stands and tries to lean down for her duffle bag only to realize Jason is already carrying it. "I'm going to drive you to your apartment, small fry." 

She frowns at him in confusion. "I'm not sure a motorcycle ride is the best idea right now but I suppose it's better than walking."

"I had Tim drop off the car and take my motorcycle home. After watching you wipe out the last time I figured that would be best." He appeared next to Jason after play time started and left before the last few circuits. Marinette doesn't ask if Tim watched the match and Jason decides to leave it alone. He has never brought up roller derby in front of his brothers and he won't say anything until she does - he gets it.  
-  
He helped her all the way up the flight of stairs to her apartment but Marinette wouldn't let him in to help her. "I am an adult and I don't need you mother hen-ing me. I greatly appreciate the ride home, Jason, and I'm so happy you came to watch the bout. But go home." 

Jason relents but maybe he'll grill Damian before patrol on Monday. He'll let her have the weekend to rest. Maybe.

\------

Looking inside the small box Marinette brought to class Damian feels confused. His confusion only grows as he watches her slowly sink into her seat next to him. 

"What is this?" He's pointing to the box. 

"My stuff for our project?" She realizes it shouldn't sound like a question. They had planned on her visiting his place after class as it's (hopefully) quiet and there is plenty of room to work.

Damian conveniently avoided telling everyone but Alfred that she would be coming over. It may not be the wisest move considering the abundant opportunities to out themselves but the alternative is having his brothers monopolize their time.

The class is as interesting as the rest have been and their stools are angled to face the still life set up in the center of the room. Marinette and Damian work silently but he watches her as she struggles to get comfortable on the stool.  
\----  
"I should warn you that my family's home is...more of a manor." 

"Why should that be a warning?" 

"I just didn't want to surprise you. I appreciate that you don't ask me about being a Wayne. You treat me like Damian, a person, and not some rich snob." 

He's able to say all this nicely as he concentrates on driving. Marinette gives an apathetic noise and waves a hand dismissively.

"I don't know why 'being a Wayne' should be a big deal but I went to school with supermodel and the mayor's daughter. One wanted to be treated like a person and the other expected to be treated like royalty. People are peop- that is a mansion!" She's says the last bit quietly and then giggles.

"I warned you." He's only laughing at her a little bit.

Alfred is there to greet them and Marinette's charm bomb goes off.

"Please, just call me Marinette! It's so nice to meet you!" She's shaking his hand and giving him her sweetest smile.

"Of course, Miss Marinette. I believe the library next to the dinning room will be the best." He takes her jacket and lets Damian show her to the library. The curtains are open and the large windows look out into a beautiful garden. 

"It's so gorgeous! Do you ever go outside to sketch?" Damian is slightly taken aback by the fluttering of his stomach as he watches her admire the garden.

"Sometimes, but April is still too cold to spend much time outside unless I'm walking Titus."  
-  
The items from Marinette's box end up arranged on a small end table. She feels like a cheater with what she's chosen but it was not as hard as she thought it would be. Years of trying to keep Ladybug and Marinette separate helped a lot. 

She places her roller derby helmet down first, choosing to share that part of her life, followed by her favorite bubblegum pink measuring tape, and a yellow wax dipped rose. She couldn't keep the real one but Chat Noir had given her this one before she left.

Damian ends up letting her cheat with one of his items. He had initially included Titus's collar but when the dog himself stretched out in the sun Marinette spent 5 minutes fawning over him. So she sketches him before he can move. 

He then lays out his pair of training gloves from the sparring room and his set of oil paint tubes. Damian angles the small table these sit on so lighting is mostly the same as the lighting Titus is lounging in.

The room is peaceful and they only talk to quietly thank Alfred for snacks. They are both thinking this is nice when Marinette's phone rings shrilly with some rock song and she reaches out to it without taking her eyes of her paper.

"Ello. Ello?" She pulls her phone away and looks at it for the first time. She should not be surprised that Jason hung up on her and it's only seconds before he's sliding into the room.

"Hey Sunshine. Watcha doin'?" Jason leans over the back of her chair to look at her work.

"Bonjour, Jay! We're just working on our art project. Why did you call?" She stops and twists to look back at him then winces slightly. Marinette watches him flick his eyes to her helmet and then to Damian, who does not miss this.

"Because I watched you kick ass Friday night and you didn't text me back." Jason says with mild annoyance and pokes her cheek.

She smacks his hand away while laughing. "Id did text you back, you just didn't like my answers." Damain is just watching with a grumpy face and finally tuts.

"It's rude to exclude other people from your conversations. Does this have to do with your helmet?"

"I'll explain but only after you tell me which item you think is misleading. Otherwise it's cheating." She has her elbow propped on the armrest and her chin resting in her hand. Marinette has a small smirk as she waits.

Damian really believes that all the items are slightly misleading. He knows she likes to design clothes and it's become blatantly apparent that she values her relationships immensely. At first glance the helmet was something misleading but he's always felt like there is more to her. It still feels like he's missing something.

"The helmet is the obvious choice but I feel like you made it too easy." 

"That's fair. I didn't bring much with me when I moved so just about everything in my apartment is precious to me. Sorry Damian. I wanted to make it a challenge." Marinette has the grace to laugh at herself. 

"So, what does the helmet have to do with you kicking ass and apparently injuring yourself?" Damian is surprised how much he cares.

From the couch behind them they hear an exhausted Tim. "She plays roller derby with Harley Quinn." 

"What?" Damian stares at them blankly. "I don't know which part of that surprises me more." 

"She's Lady Bruiser and she is an absolute beast!" Jason says with so much pride it makes Marinette tear up a little. But that might be because he picked her up and is hugging her too tight.

"Jason! Your crushing my ribs you big jerk." The tears are definitely from the pain.

"Put her down right now!" Damain is on his feet and prepares to forcefully take Marinette from Jason. 

"She's fine, Demon Spawn." He sets her down gently. "Let me see your ribs, LB!"

"No!" This is from both Damian and Marinette.

"What if you have a broken rib?"

"Even if I did there is nothing you can do about it!" She is doing her best not to freak out over the nickname and hopes they take her red cheeks for simple embarrassment. Hopefully this won't be the nickname he finally sticks to.

The truth is her cramps hurt more than her bruises from Friday and she just can't get comfortable when everything hurts. The regular exercise from practice eases her period cramps but she's been a bum all weekend.

"So why have you been wincing all day? Obviously something still hurts." Damian asks. They have her half-heartedly cornered and both have concerned scowls.

"Tiiimmm. Tell the them to drop it." The only answer she gets is a fake snore.

"Fine!" Marinette throws her hands in the air and groans dramatically. 

She turns and lifts her shirt just slightly. They won't be able to see the entire bruise but it should be enough. On her back just above the right side of her pants is the top of a large nasty bruise. The whole thing is probably bigger than one of Damian's hands.

"Nice." Marinette is startled to see a young woman with short black hair standing between Jason and Damian but she grins at the compliment.


	3. Chapter 3

Cass might be her new favorite Wayne. Her compliment was the only verbal word she said but she is obviously extremely perceptive. Marinette saw her eye the objects both her and Damian shared for the project and is glad she did not bring anything hero related.

The whole family seems to be highly astute.

Jason is just starting to describe her brief moment of crowd surfing the night before when Dick enters the library.

"How many of you are there?!" 

"Marinette, this is Dick. He is the oldest and the last official Wayne sibling." 

Dick walks up to her with a huge smile and extends his hand for her to shake. Marinette takes his and and gives him a warm smile. Her cheeks go pink when she wonders why every Wayne is so attractive.

"You're even cuter in person! I'm surprised Jason bothered to bring you here." He says as he steals Marinette's armchair.

"Tt. He didn't, Dick. Marinette and I are in the same art class this semester." Damian explains and offers her his chair. 

He's thankful they're mostly done with their sketches and feel disappointed he didn't anticipate this more. He busies himself with returning Marinette's items to the box.

"That's even stranger." Dick watches her flinch minutely as she sits. "Are you ok?"

Marinette sighs amicably but dramatically. "Do you people miss anything?"

Just about everyone says no.

Tim finally rolls off the couch to stand next to Marinette's chair and says again. "She plays roller derby with Harley Quinn."

"What?"

"So how much of the match did you watch?" She's trying to look in his eyes but they're basically closed.

"Just your last play. Jason text me that you would probably need a ride home and a motorcycle ride with a bruised tailbone would be painful." Tim yawns and is practically draped over the back of her chair.

"Give her some space you fool." Damian goes to pry him away after setting the box next to her school bag.  
-  
Marinette seems to be the only one surprised when she stays for dinner. Despite her protests at being intrusive she ends up deposited in a chair between Damian and Cass. Apparently he, Jason, and Tim are not allowed to sit next to one another.

Meeting Bruce Wayne confirms that they are all, in fact, unfairly attractive. He does not seem surprised to see her at his table but instead appears pleased. 

"So, Marinette, I hear you are a graphic design major and GU and you play roller derby. What else can you tell me about yourself?" Bruce's charm is effortless.

"Well, I chose graphic design because it opens up a lot of creative career avenues but fashion design is where my heart is." She's trying to be respectful but the meal is the best she's had since her parents cooking. 

"She's really good. You'll have to show him your leather jacket, LB!" Jason says around a mouthful of food.

Damian looks at her. "The red one?" Her cheeks go red as she nods. 

Marinette sees the small frown Cass gives Damian. "It's not real leather." She clarifies and is pleased when Cass gives her a slight nod. She might be the easiest one to understand. 

"I'm vegan." Is all the clarification Damian gives her, however. He's such a closed book.

"Roller Derby is rough contact sport isn't it? How'd you come to play?" Tim asks.

"Uh, well, it's a bit embarrassing. I was out looking for good fabric warehouses in February when I got lost. Three men started following me but before I could...panic, Harley Quinn interfered. She told them to get lost and we got to talking. Before I knew it I was watching the league's exhibition match for recruiting new players." Marinette shrugs and smiles. "I just fell in love."

She does not miss the small looks they all share.

\--------

They gathered around the console in the batcave. After Alfred took Marinette home it was a silent agreement to meet early for patrol.

Tim is the one at the keyboard and starts pulling up everything he's found so far.

"Do we need to worry about Harley Quinn? I know her and Ivy have been doing well for almost a year now." Dick asks.

"I haven't found anything. There is an article on the derby website that talks about why Harley started her own team. The gist is that she wanted a safe way for her and other women to reasonable channel their aggression." Tim has the article open but they only skim it.

The cave is quiet until Jason points to another folder Tim has open in the corner. "What's in there?"

"The basic background check on Marinette." He opens her profile and her photo is beaming at them all. "She's an only child. Her parents Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng own a popular bakery in Paris. She graduated towards the top of her class and was accepted to several universities. She took a gap year until applying and receiving a scholarship at Gotham University."

Tim drags the Sirens website back to the middle and opens her skater profile. A video from her debut match starts playing and they watch her skate around the track, bending down to high five the audience.

"Lady Bruiser?" 

"Yup. It's why I call her LB but also because she hates it!" Jason says gleefully. "What do you think of her outfit, Demon Spawn? Remind you of anyone?

It does, in fact, remind him of his Robin uniform and his face heats up as he continues to watch the video clip repeat. "She's never brought up any of our vigilante identities so I doesn't mean anything." He says without meeting anyone's eyes.

"Regardless, it does look an awful like Robin." Dick says. "I ship it!"

Everyone rolls their eyes.

Bruce asks the next question. "Did you find anything else?"

"Marinette has already designed for Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale as well as winning some Gabriel and Style Queen design contests. I couldn't find an explanation as to why she took a gap year." 

"Tt. Is that all?" Damian asks. Tim is holding something back.

"There is but I don't think it has to do with Marinette." He pauses as he opens a different folder. "There is a suspicious lack of news from Paris for about four years. I can find the basics but there are holes. 

"When I looked into Marinette and found a connection to Clara Nightingale I found a music video she made in honor of Ladybug and Chat Noir. The only other place the names appear is an amateur fan site." 

He pulls up the Ladyblog and it's apparent that site hasn't been maintained or updated recently. The last article posted was about the disappearance of Ladybug, Chat Noir, and their enemy Hawkmoth - it's over a year old.

"Is this everything, Tim?" Bruce asks and rubs his chin thoughtfully.

"It's all I can find without any other leads." 

\--------------

Spring on Gotham was cold and wet and Marinette hated it. The winter was terrible but in this moment it is worse.

Typically, one of the Waynes comes to a roller derby match even after she said she doesn't expect them to. But she has come to anticipate that she will have someone with whom to walk home. 

Jason has at least drilled into her head to text him when she is out in the city after dark. So when their match with the Killjoys ends she does text him but doesn't hear back.

Her team is so used to someone being there for her that they don't think twice before leaving.

So Marinette is walking alone in Gotham late at night. She's not panicking yet. Inside her warm hoodie in a special pocket is Wayzz. She has taken to wearing either the turtle or mouse miraculous as they were seen the least in Paris and she connects well with both Wayzz and Mullo.

Marinette does panic when she feels someone exit the alley way behind her and reach out and grab her shoulder. On instinct she grabs the arm and flips the man over her shoulder and onto the ground.

She is shocked to see Robin. "I'm so sorry! Désolé! Marinette tries to help him up but he swats her hands away.

"It's fine. I should have said something before touching you. But why are you out alone after dark?" He's looking at her like Jason would be - arms crossed and scowling.

"The people I usually head home with were busy tonight." She shrugs. "What else am I supposed to do?" She starts walking again - it is too cold for her to just stand and chit chat.

"I'll escort you home. Do you have any objections to going by the rooftops? It would be faster." He sounds angry and put out about it.

Marinette eyes him for a few moments and it makes Damian feel like he's not wearing his mask. She does this sometimes with all of them.

"I suppose not. It'll be colder but faster, as you say." In reality she misses the feeling of flying over the city.  
Robin unhooks his grappling gun as Marinette stands closer to him. She is standing with her arms up to put around his neck seemingly waiting for his permission. He steps into them and pulls her against him. When her arms are secure Robin takes off.

The feeling, though not as smooth as her yoyo, is fantastic. Marinette manages to keep her legs from tangling with his when he runs and tries very hard not to laugh. But she has never been able to control herself when she's happy.

The giggle starts like hiccups, short and abrupt, until she's puffing up her cheeks and the giggles escape through he teeth. When she tucks her head into the joint of his neck and shoulder to laugh harder he stops abruptly.

"Are you ok?" He says it sharply and she thinks he's angry.

Marinette keeps laughing as she looks out at the landscape around them. Cities are so much different from the rooftops and she misses it. She's stops giggling and turns a nostalgic smile to Robin.

"I'm sorry. I am perfectly alright. I honestly don't know why I started laughing." She was actually prepared to cry.

Robin watches her face for a moment before nodding and tightening his arms around her again. "Whatever." 

It is only a few more minutes before they reach her apartment building and he swings them down to street level.

"Thank you, Robin." She says as she quickly exits his personal space. 

"You need to be careful. I don't want to have to help you again." He won't look at her as he prepares to leave.

"Then don't." Marinette storms off into the building without looking back.

How did he know where she lives?

\---  
Robin turns his comm back to full volume only to hear Red Hood sniggering.

"Do you like the fishnets?"

"Tt. Next time you take her home."

"You were the one in the area and some of us were busy with a robbery." Red Hood still sounds way too amused. 

"I swear, Todd, I'll-"

Batman cuts him off. "No names on comms. We have reports of an attempted kidnapping near you Robin."

"Got it."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is no roller derby in this chapter and I feel like I'm cheating you all.

10 months. Marinette made it 10 months in Gotham without seeing a vigilante or using a miraculous. 

And then Robin had to ruin it. 

When she's safe inside her apartment Marinette prepares to stay inside all weekend. She starts the kettle for tea and takes a quick shower to warm up and remove all the sweat and makeup.

She steeps Wayzz's favorite green tea and they make quiet conversation before she returns his bracelet to the miracle box. 

She removes the two cases that she tries not to think about all the time. 

"Hiya Pigtails. Where's the cheese?" Plagg immediately phases into her fridge for his stash.

Tikki doesn't say anything right away but snuggles up to her cheek. 

Marinette must have them out at the same time to maintain balance but she cannot activate them at the same time. So she settles for spending a few hours with them every few weeks. 

"How are you, Marinette? It's so good to see you!" Tikki finally says.

"I'm so happy to see you, Tikki! Do you want to make cookies with me?" Marinette asks the kwami with a small smile.

"You know I love baking with you!" Tikki zips around the small kitchen.

Together they make her mamans and papas chocolate chip cookies. Plagg also decides to help - he usually does. They giggle and tell small stories the whole time. 

Tikki looks through her sketchbooks and her new projects. Plagg asks if she's been up to anything good. They both fawn over her roller derby videos. 

Marinette might regret spending all weekend with them later but she can't stand to return them to the miracle box. 

"Have you heard anything new, Marinette?" It's late at night, or early morning, and they've been binge watching Plagg's favorite shows. But eventually they have to talk about how things are going.

"No, I've not found anything new. Whoever received the butterfly miraculous from Gabriel is still underground." She sighs dejectedly. 

Plagg is purring deeply as he sleeps on her stomach and eventual her and Tikki sleep too.

\----

Marinette is at the manor frequently now. At first it's the three days a week her and Damian have the afternoon free to work on projects together - even though there are only two the whole semester. 

But as Tim's frustration grows at the lack of information on Paris they all find reasons to invite her over.

Jason agrees to help teach her self defense but that quickly devolves into stupid dares and stunts. So it falls on Dick to do the real work but only in exchange for baking lessons. After that Jason decides to help with the reading for her English classes. Marinette is good enough to receive the scholarship but she appreciates the help.

Cass shows her hiding spots and secret shortcuts around the manor. At first everyone worries about this but as it doesn't worry Alfred they let it go. The two also spend time sequestered in Cass's room doing what Jason calls 'girl stuff'. Which means they watch reality tv and paint their nails.

Tim and Marinette nerd out on Jagged Stone and trivia. They have long conversations that sound like conspiracy theories about the stupidest things. They try to get the upper hand and think they're out smarting one another. Marinette knows Tim is fishing for something about her and Tim knows she's picking his brain for detective tricks.

\---

Not for the first Damian laments taking drawing as an elective. It was supposed to be easy and dull. And then Marinette was assigned his partner.

Their final will be figure drawing with a model in class. To prepare for this they will sketch several five minute sketches of people around them and two detailed sketches of their partner. 

Damian spends most of his time trying very hard not to look at Marinette and now he has to.  
\--

The library was peacefully quiet for once. Marinette was sketching Cass, Damian was sketching Marinette, Jason was reading, Tim was working on his laptop, and Dick and Cass were busy on their phones.

"Hey LB, who is you favorite hero?" Jason asks from behind 'Save Me The Waltz'. Everyone tenses slightly - her answer could mean chaos as she doesn't know the family secret. 

Inside her own head Marinette tries to stay calm. He calls her LB because she's Lady Bruiser and it's one of the first names he knew her by. But combined with the word 'hero' it's a thougt that is a little too close to home.

The Wayne's are inquisitive to the point of being rude. This is one of the only times the subject has come up and she starts to wonder if that's on purpose.

Outside her musings Marinette puts on a thoughtful pout. "Well... that's hard as there are so many to choose from."

"How about just the ones from Gotham." Dick is quick to suggest and there's a hopeful glint in his eye.

Marinette laughs and catches Cass's eye who simple raises an eyebrow. "That mostly leaves the bats, right?"

"Pretty much." Tim confirms.

"But they're all so different...hmm." She's frowning now as this feels like a test.

"Tt. Stop stalling. They're not going to know so it's not like you can hurt their feelings." Damian knows how much she hates playing favorites among them already.

Marinette sticks her tongue out at him. "Fine. Right now I'm very intrigued by Red Robin." Everyone stares but she's looking down and her sketchbook. "He used to use, what was, a skateboard, right? I'd love to learn some of the stunts with my own skates!" 

"I thought Robin was your favorite." Damian says and is grateful she's not looking at him right then. "Your derby outfit looks like his uniform, as several people have mentioned."

She scoffs. "Robin does not own that color scheme, plenty of other heroes use it. And I heard he's rather rude."

"Well, what do you like about the others?" Tim butts in before it can escalate.

Marinette sits up all the way and twirls her pencil in her fingers. She thinks for a moment and then begins listing them.

"Well, Batman is Batman, I don't know what to say there. Nightwing is reported to have the most lovely personality. I hear he's a really charming! Then Red Hood has the most interesting outfit - the double mask and leather jacket. Plus he plays by his own rules. Red Robin as I said has the best gadgets and seems the most level headed. Black Bat is so secretive and rarely seen but I love the mystery. And I haven't heard enough about Spoiler to give a real answer." 

They all seem satisfied with her answer, except for Damian. "And Robin's just rude?" He's pouting in his chair and ignoring Jason's quiet laughter.

"Non. I hear he's rather aggressive too." She stretches back out on her stomach and moves on to drawing Jason.

Tim isn't quite satisfied with her answer on Robin either or with Dick's suggestion of only choosing from Gotham's heroes.

"If Robin isn't the inspiration for your derby outfit what is?"

Marinette freezes and everyone notices. "Umm. Just some heroes from home. They're not active anymore."

The entire room is quiet again but now the air is tense. Marinette is not ready to be grilled about the Parisian heroes at all, let alone in a room full of Wayne's.

Alfred enters the room to announce dinner and Marinette tries to escape as quickly as possible without raising suspicion. But there will be no escape during dinner.  
\--

"So will you tell us about the heroes you mentioned?" Dick is maybe the best person to ask her. Tim will raise suspicion, Jason will just tease her, and Damian wouldn't be able to sound casual.

"There's not a whole lot to tell. A villian named Hawkmoth appeared one day and then the heroes did." She pauses. Marinette has tried to prepare for this and she knows that they won't let it go but she won't make it easy. "Then one day they disappeared." 

"All of them?" Tim prompts.

"Yeah. One day it was over and no one knew it."

"You said Hawkmoth was a villian. What did he want?"

"I'm not really sure. It was something the heroes had."

At this point they realize they'll have to ask for every piece of information - she won't just tell them everything.

"Who were the heroes? What were their names?"

Marinette is staring down at her plate. She has to say their names.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir. They were Ladybug and Chat Noir and sometimes they had backup heroes. But Hawkmoth wanted whatever they had."

The table is quiet and Marinette struggles not to fill it with either the truth or some manic ramblings.

"How did he attract their attention? He must've had to draw them out to get what he wanted." Bruce says this quietly with his best concerned dad voice. He's not had a lot of practice.

"Hawkmoth was able to feel people's negative emotions. He would choose a victim and akumatize them, making them into a supervillain. He offered them power to get revenge and in exchange they would get him what he wanted." She finishes her explanation and starts eating again. 

Everyone seems to sense that she won't tell them any more - not right now. They have enough new information that Tim will spend several days glued to computer in the cave.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some bonding happens, some derby happens.

"I can't find anything! Why can't I find anything!"   
Tim has spent the last five days scrounging for any shred of information. At the very least the little bit that Marinette said matches up with the Ladyblog.

Conveniently, Damian and Marinette are busy preparing for finals so she has not been to the manor since. 

She is greatly relieved that Damian has not brought the subject up again. He's even gone out of his way to find other things to talk about and given her excuses not to go to the manor. 

The more time she spends with him the more she likes him. Until this point they have never really spent time alone together. Even if everyone is busy Jason finds a way to lurk or separate them.

So Marinette does the one thing she said she wouldn't. She invites Damian to her apartment.

\---  
Damian is surprised when Marinette invites him over to her place. She has spent most of her free time with his siblings and he's not always the nicest. On top of that their last shared project is done.

He still finds himself sitting at her small kitchen table eating cookies. 

"I don't know about you but I'm ready for the semester to be over. Tea?" She asks as she flits around the room.

"Ah, me too and what kind?"

Marinette hands him two different boxes and he's surprised to find one of them is his favorite. 

"The black tea." She hums and when he hands her the boxes their fingers brush and her cheeks pink.

"Your place is really nice, I like it." He genuine likes the feel of her space. It's cozy and slightly sophisticated. Later, when he's winding down from patrol in his room, he realizes it feels like her - like home.

"Thanks! I like it and Uncle Jagged made sure it was up to his standards." She says with exacerbation.

"So I've heard." He says with a grin.

The days are warmer in May but the nights are still cold. Damain can see several potted plants lining the inside of the balcony doors. He does not miss the heavy blackout curtains draped next to them.

Somehow it feels as if Marinette has achieved perfect balance within the space. Despite the obvious signs of a student in the midst of finals preparation it feels right.

When he mentions again how calm the space feels Marinette can't keep the satisfied smirk of her face. 

"I suppose that's just part of being a designer. I have an eye for balance."

What Damain is experiencing is the same thing she experienced in Master Fu's shop. There is a lot to being the Guardian of the miracle box and creating peace and balance is essential. 

If Damain feels comfortable it means she's doing something right.

His phone starts ringing sometime into his second cup of tea. "Tt. What is it?" Marinette can faintly hear Jason's voice. "I can't, Todd, I'm not at the manor. No. I'm with Marinette." Jason is talking for several moments before Damain "Fine" and hangs up.

"Is everything alright?"

"Tt. Yes. Jason says he cannot escort you to your match tonight."

"Oh that's alright. I don't know why he called you though." She says as she picks up her own phone. "Oh, it's dead." 

Marinette plugs her phone in to charge. 

"I should probably be getting ready to go anyway. You can stay till I leave if you like." 

Damian takes a deep breath. Jason cannot seem to commit to playing protective brother or matchmaker with the two of them. 

"Go ahead and get ready but I'll drive you there."

"Oh! Thank you, Damian, that's really sweet of you!" He is not prepared for the stunning smile she gives him.

\---

Somehow, Damian has gone three months without seeing her play roller derby but now he's crowded in the stands next to Jason. The same Jason who magically appeared once Marinette went to the locker room.

He listens as the mc goes through introducing the skaters and explains the basics. Marinette warned him that it's another renegade match - something about the Sirens maintaining their winning streak.

Lady Bruiser is so small compared to most of the other players and combined with her outfit Damian is struggling. He feels fiercely protective and tries to reason that if Jason thinks she safe then she must be. 

Harley swaps jammers frequently which means he gets to see her speed around the track and block opponents. In the first half he watches Marinette slam someone into the boards, jump over fallen players, get hip checked hard enough to roll off the track and collide with the bench in the middle, and smack talk the other team.

Damian is shocked how wild and dangerous she looks. He slowly realizes he likes this side of her too and that he might be in trouble.

During the second half the game gets ugly. Apparently, there is already bad blood between the Sirens and the Crushers, a team from Metropolis. Lady Bruiser gets 'whipped' by her teammate, Kitty Mayhem, and skates around the track fast. Too fast. As she comes up behind the pack one of the Crushers elbows her in the face and she slams into the boards with enough force to bounce off and slide several feet.

The circuit is ends immediately after and one of the referees approach her as she has yet to get up. Harley is by her side in an instant and it's a tense 30 seconds before she regains consciousness. 

Her right eye is quickly swelling shut and she'll have to make an ER visit for a concussion but she still manages to wave and skate off the track.

Jason grabs Damian by the back of his jacket and walks to the locker rooms. The support staff must recognize him because they allow them through to see her.

"Hey LB. You kicked some major ass out there. Hopefully they can win without you." Jason says and watches as she applies an ice pack to her face.

"Don't worry guys. The Sirens are almost as protective as you, they'll defend my honor. It'll turn into an all out fist fight before the game is over." Somehow Marinette still manages to smile.

"Let's get you packed up so you can get medical attention. Which locker is yours?" Jason asks.

"Number 7." He brings over her duffle bag and her boots. Damian is relieved that Jason doesn't say anything as he watches Damian remove her skates and her knee pads. He hands them to Jason and then puts her boots on for her.

Damian also removes her elbow pads and wrist guards so she can keep the ice pack on her face.  
-  
After a small amount of arguing and a diagnosis of a minor concussion Marinette agrees to let them both stay at her apartment. She has to be under observation for at least 24 hours.

She flat out refused to stay at the manor or the hospital because she didn't want to leave the miracle box.

So as weird as it is Jason and Damian stay with her. Jason tries to distract her and find things to do while Damian watches her like a hawk and makes sure she's taking something for the pain.

They stay the 24 hours and promise to leave the next morning, Sunday. Jason comments on the calm atmosphere more than Damian did. Marinette wonders why it should effect them so much. 

It seems to benefit her as well but she hurts too much to think more on it.

\----

Marinette wakes abruptly to the sound of someone banging on her door. She fell asleep on the couch while leaning on Jason with her legs in Damian's lap. 

Jason groans. "LB, make it stop." He jostles her sleepily.

"DUPAIN-CHENG! OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR RIGHT NOW!" 

Marinette is disoriented but she gets up and opens her door with the chain still on.

Through the gap she can see none other then Chloe Bourgeois. Marinette is too stunned to do more then stare dumbfounded.

"Open the door now." Chloe says evenly, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. 

Marinette can feel Damain approach and stand behind her. She's watches Chloe's eyes narrow and she's sure they're having a stare down.

"Who are you?" Jason must be right behind Damian but she's not surprised that Chloe is not intimidated.

"Open. The. Door."

Marinette relents and closes the door to release the chain. When she opens the door all the way Chloe pushes her way inside. She looks around and gives a small nod before sitting at the table.

Marinette sighs and goes to make tea for everyone. Damian moves to set out the croissants and cookies they made the day before. He sits down across from Chloe and they resume their stare down.

"Your friends are rude, Marinette." 

"You're rude." Jason is so mature as he sits on her countertop. Chloe's scoffs.

Marinette, the perfect being she is, has brewed everyone their tea the way they like and hands them out.

"Chloe Bourgeois, this is Damian Wayne and Jason Todd. Guys this is Chloe. We went to school together." She blows on her tea. "How did you find me?"

"That's all you have to say?! Were you ever going to tell me you moved here or was I just supposed to find out by watching you get knocked unconscious on the internet?!" Chloe no longer screeches but she is still loud.

"I was going to tell you eventually. I have a match in New York really soon. I just...I just wasn't ready." 

Damian is surprised how small she looks and how quietly she spoke. After seeing her larger than life as Lady Bruiser it's a shock. He grabs her hand and rubs her knuckles. Jason comes over and ruffles her hair gently.

"You ok, LB?" He asks softly.

Chloe slams her hands on the table. "LB?! You tol-"

"Chloe!" Marinette snaps and suddenly her voice in authoritative. "If you saw the video you know my derby name is Lady Bruiser."

The room is silent as they all stare at each other. Marinette turns to Damain. "I think you guys need to go home. I want to catch up with Chloe and I'm sure you want to get out of my apartment." She gives him a soft smile but he still wants to argue.

"C'mon, Demon Spawn. She's right."

They pack up their overnight bags and Jason gives Marinette a hug and kiss on top of her head. To her immense surprise Damian comes close enough to hug her too. He doesn't but he does reach out and tuck her hair behind her ear.

"Tt.You will text me if you don't feel well and I'm picking you up in the morning for your classes." He says this a gives Chloe one last glare before leaving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Insurance is important, folks. Some roller derby leagues and rinks can offer insurance and don't play for one that doesn't. Just my advice.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe is Chloe.  
> More information on the Hawkmoth situation.  
> Damian confides his feelings to Dick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sucker for Chloe redemption. 
> 
> Thanks for reading ❤️

Marinette sits back down at the table and lays her down. She stretches out her hand and holds onto Chloe's.

"I missed you." Chloe admits quietly.

"I missed you too."

"Why do you let him call you LB?"

Marinette huffs and smiles. "Jason insisted on finding his own nickname for me and called me everything under the sun. When he tried LB and I cringed he stuck to it." She sat up and let go of Chloe's hand. "At this point it would raise suspicion if I argue too much."

She cleans up the mugs and plates from breakfast and they move to sit on her couch.

"How's Adrien?"

Chloe scoffs. "He's good. He and Gabriel are happy...I know why you did it but sometimes I wish you had turned him in."

"Sometimes I wish that too. But this way Adrien gets to be happy and maybe Gabriel will do some good for the world."

"You're still so disgustingly optimistic!" 

Marinette laughs a little. "I suppose I am. But someone has to be and it might as well be me."

\---  
Before too long Chloe insists on taking Marinette out for fresh air - which is just shopping. She examines the red leather jacket with the warm padded lining the designer made. She insists on having one in black with a yellow lining, of course.

The girls spend most of the day wandering around as Chloe shows her the best places to shop. When they stop to eat lunch at a quiet little bistro Chloe begins her next interrogation.

"How in the world did you get Damain Wayne wrapped around your finger?" 

"Uh, I don't have him wrapped around my finger Chloe - we're just friends."

"Surely you of all people hear how ridiculously that sounds. Next you're going to tell me that Jason doesn't dote on you like a sister." 

"He doesn't." Marinette tries to say seriously but Chloe knows she's joking as she rolls her eyes.

"Fine, he does. But the rest of them do too." She shrugs and only realizes her mistake a second later. Chloe narrows her eyes and points her fork at her.

"The rest of them? What am I saying of course they do. You try to stay as anonymous as possible only to fall into one of the most notorious families in the states. I swear to god."

Marinette has the decency to look abashed and she tries to apologize for whatever she did.

"Tell me how you wooed them. And don't you dare leave anything out!"

\---  
Marinette did not realize how much she missed this. Being able to talk to someone without hiding things. 

Her relationships with the various Waynes is wonderful but still so new. She knows how easily it could end but tries not to think about it. After spending several months in Gotham on her own it's a sweet relief to have friends again. 

But Chloe knows almost everything. When Ladybug was closing in on Hawkmoth she needed help and Chloe had proven to be vital in many ways. 

With her as Queen Bee they recovered the peacock miraculous and the grimoire. They would have had the butterfly too, had it not been Gabriel under the mask. Chat Noir had been strong when they started the fight but he quickly lost any will after seeing his mother in the stasis chamber.

As Queen Bee recharged and Ladybug tended to a grieving and newly revealed Adrien, Gabriel managed to renounce his miraculous and send it elsewhere. With the help of the grimoire he also managed to alter his memories.

Without his memories there was little he could give them. Marinette's heart broke when Gabriel actually got emotional over Adrien's distress. Whatever had happened when he had the miraculous had changed him. He was suddenly compassionate and concerned about his family.

As the Guardian Marinette had Adrien surrender and renounce the black cat miraculous, with his consent. He could not take the mental strain of having his father being Hawkmoth and abruptly returning to the man who cared about him so much. He asked her to use the same spell Gabriel used to alter his memories, too.

For the next eight months Chloe and Marinette monitored them both. Everything seemed good, or as good as it could be for the Agrestes. 

Without an active black cat and the evidence pointing to the new owner of the butterfly being underground, Marinette had to return Tikki to the miracle box. Chloe had returned the bee miraculous but made Marinette promise to contact her if anything happened and promised she would continue to keep an eye on Gabriel.

Marinette also had to make plans for her future. She applied to universities outside of Paris and accepted the scholarship to Gotham University.  
-

Eventually the day is ending and Chloe has to return to New York City.

"You said you have a match in New York, when is it?"

"The semester ends this week and the match will be three Fridays after that." 

"Good. That's more than enough time to finish my jacket! Also, your eye still looks awful."

\--

Damian is waiting outside her building the next morning, just like he said.

The whole week is absolute blur. Test, practice, sleep, in Marinette's case. Test, patrol, sleep in Damian's.

They finish their art final Friday afternoon and even though they haven't talked about it Damain takes Marinette home to the manor.

It's been two weeks since she was last here at it shows. Jason and Damain are the only ones who have seen her at all in that time. Dick and Cass steal her to make cookies and watch cartoons. 

They spend the next several hours before dinner cuddling and snacking. Dick laments the fact that Marinette chooses to spend half that time spoiling Titus with scratches and belly rubs.

It's not until Alfred calls them all to dinner that Marinette realizes she hasn't seen Tim.

"Hey Dick, where is Tim? Is he alright?"

"Tim is...busy. He's had a lot of work to do. I'm not sure you'll see him today, sunshine. We can hardly pry him away from his computer." 

Marinette pouts a little at this. "If he's working as much as you say he needs to take a break! You make it sound like he hasn't been sleeping!"

Tim has not, in fact, been sleeping much. When Jason gave him the name Chloe Bourgeois to look into he didn't know what he had done. Sure, Tim had found an article about her being a hero named Queen Bee but it didn't really lead anywhere. It's like there wasn't a place for it to lead to. It happened and then nobody cared to say anything more about it.

Most of them were hoping Tim would not find out Marinette was at the manor. He was in no state of mind to try and get her to talk without scaring her away.

"He'll be fine Marinette." Damian tells her as he pulls out her chair at the table. "Tim does this all the time and I promise you'll see him soon." He just hopes it's after Tim has slept for several days.

Bruce enters the dinning room and gives her a warm smile when he sees her. "It's so good to see you again! I was worriedy boys had driven you away with their lack of manners."

Jason wants to say something about Cass but knows better.

"I love it here with your family! I just had so much to do for the end of the semester." She hopes they won't bring up Paris again. She really does love it here.

"Well, now you have about three months off. What do you plan on doing?"

"I'll still have roller derby practice and matches. And I opened my website to commissions so those will keep me busy too. Then Damain said he'd take me to the botanical gardens and some of the parks!"

Dinner continues uneventfully and Marinette believes the subject of heroes won't come up for a long time.

But life keeps moving faster for Marinette.

-

Alfred is still the one to drive her home most nights for some reason. She's thinking about this as she walks up the stairs in her building. 

Marinette is also worried about Tim. In the short time she's known him it's obvious he gets fixated on figuring things out. If he ever tried to look up Ladybug he will drive himself mad.

She's been standing at the door to her apartment for a few minutes, deep in thought. When she suraces enough to reach for her keys she realizes she can hear harsh whispers and shuffling from inside her apartment.

Marinette backs up to the stairwell and transforms into Multimouse. Her head swims a bit at the sudden influx of power but then she shrinks and multiplies.

Some of her slip under the gap in the door and look around. She can't believe what she's seeing with her six eyes. Red Robin, Robin, and Black Bat are standing in her apartment having an argument.

"This is gross invasion of her privacy and you know it!"

"There has to be something!"

"You would not be doing this if you were in your right mind and you're going to regret it!"

Multimouse has grown impatient. She calls her multiples back and when she's whole goes out to the roof of the building. She is surprised to see the three vigilantes leave before she can catch them in her apartment.

Robin and Red Robin are still bickering as they vacate the area but as Black Bat passes her hiding place she pauses. Multimouse thinks she turns and looks at her but it's hard to tell.  
-

A few hours later Marinette is still sitting quietly at her laptop. She had come in and found everything exactly as she had left it.

Why would Gotham's heroes be in her apartment looking for something? And what would they be looking for? She has only transformed twice since she left Paris. Tonight and then once when she first moved. That time was with Wayzz to simply do a quick sweep of the immediate area to get to see it from above.

Just...why?

\----

"Please, Jason!"

"No."

"Please. Please. Plea-"

"Saying it more won't make me say yes, LB."

Marinette does her very best kitten eyes. "S'il vous plait!" And now put the bottom lip out, just a bit and...

"No!"

Damn. And then she feels stupid for asking the wrong Wayne. So she goes to find them.

Cass already knows what Marinette wants. When she grins Marinette grins back. It's damn great to have a sister.

When Damain and Jason hear the engine revving from the garage they realize Cass will do almost anything for Marinette. Then when they look out one of the windows that view the manor gate they see Marinette driving away on Jason's motorcycle, Cass waving to them from behind her.

\---

Dick is surprised when Damian asks to be paired with him for patrol. It's not that they don't get along but, well, Damian prefers to patrol alone.

Nightwing and Robin sweep their quarter of the city with mild entanglements - pickpockets and stalkers. Nightwing waits as long as he can stand it, wanting Robin to bring up whatever is bothering him. He's about to say something when Robin removes his comm and waits for him to do the same.

"I don't... I don't know what to do." He pauses there and goes to sit on the ledge of the building their on.

"I have experienced what Jon calls crushes before." Robin starts again as Nightwing sits next to him. So he wants to talk about Marinette. This is good as Jason said he would never act on his feelings until too late. Nightwing is hopeful this will prove Jason wrong.

"You have a crush on Sunshine. I think it's a great thing, baby bird. I also think she has a crush on you too." 

"I think she does too. But...I think it's more than just a crush for me." Nightwing notices he's fiddling with a strawberry hair tie, it must be Marinette's as she's losing them constantly. "I don't think any of us can have normal relationships."

"No?" 

"Tt. No one would overlook the constant disappearances for patrol, or understand the commitment to physical 'fitness'. And what would she do if she ever found all the weapons we hide around the manor." He looks up at the city. "She's too smart to ignore all that."

Nightwing has to admit that he has a point. But.. "I don't think that means that you shouldn't try. Sunshine is constantly surprising all of us. If anyone can cope I believe she can."

Robin turns to him and he's angry now. "I don't want her to cope! I want her to be happy." 

He puts his comm back in and takes off for home. Robin will always be dark and brooding but he's been better lately. 

"I want you to be happy, too." He says to no one.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A heads up: Robin is not nice in this chapter. He more than makes up for it later. Promise!
> 
> Thank you for reading ❤️

Now that Jason and Damain (and Tim and Cass) have been to Marinette's apartment she struggles to keep them out. 

Jason is the only one with an actual key but only because Marinette chewed him out for coming through a window and knocking over her plants. Cass manages to sneak in without breaking anything.

Damian, Dick, and Tim only show up when invited, for now.

So Marinette is not too surprised to see Cass lounging on her couch. But seeing Tim at her desk with his laptop is unexpected. It's painfully obvious he's running on vapors.

"Hey, Tim! Would you like something to drink?"

"No. You're a monster who doesn't own any coffee." He practically hisses.

"I promise it has caffeine." She says hand to her heart.

She barely hears his mumbled please and thank you. But it's quickly followed by an interrogation.

Marinette brings him a cup of tea and Tim is astonished how awake he feels. They both work quietly, after she refuses to tell him anything, for about two hours. Marinette is making progress on Chloe's jacket until Cass taps her on the shoulder.

Tim is passed out at the desk. The girls smile at each other and Cass starts movie while Marinette swaddles Tim in her fluffiest blanket.

-  
Dick is the one to come knocking and starts to worry when no one answers the door. Luckily he snagged Jason's key.

He finds all three passed out and snuggling while the menu screen to 'Whip It' repeats. Dick snaps a picture and Cass immediately opens her eyes. Shortly after she moves the other two wake up.

One of the best things about Marinette is she is always happy to see everyone. Dick feels spoiled that she likes hugging him - no else properly appreciates his hugs.

"Where am I?" Tim asks groggily from the floor.

"You're at Marinette's. I had to come find you two after you didn't come home yesterday." Dick laughs as he watches Tim roll around.

"Tim's a burrito." Cass sniggers as she breaks into the stash of baked goods in the kitchen.

"As impressed as I am will someone please help me!" Finally Marinette takes pity on him and starts unwrapping him. "Was this really necessary?"

"Yes. You threatened to plant incriminating files on my computer if I didn't tell you about Ladybug and Chat Noir." 

"Oh... I'm sorry, Marinette. I guess I went a little overboard. I just couldn't find anything." Tim apologizes. 

"It's alright, Tim. But you couldn't find anything at all?" She is busy making tea and setting out plates for all of them. Marinette is secretly pleased to hear how hard it is to find that information. 

"Just an amateur blog that I can't verify the credibility of and few vague tweets from celebrities." He sounds so defeated and she feels a little guilty.

"I knew it was kept quiet but I didn't realize it would be that bad." A lie. "But I suppose that's what magic does." She shrugs and misses Cass eyeing her critically.

"Magic?" The guys ask.

"Well, yeah. How else does one possess another human being and give them crazy powers?"

Tim and Dick look at one another.

"I mean we figured but it must be powerful to interfere that much. I know you didn't want to talk about it before but is there anything else you can tell us?" Tim asks hopefully.

Marinette sighs and realizes she'll have to give him something but she needs time to think. "Okay. I'll tell you what I know but not right now. I have a commission to work on and practice later."

Tim wilts pathetically. "Ok, Mari."

On a whim she walks over to her tv stand and grabs a dvd box. Cass slinks over to look at it and tilts her head.

"You can borrow this but I want it back." She reluctantly hands Tim her copy of of the animated Miraculous movie. "I know it's a children's movie and it doesn't focus on the type of facts your looking for but you should be able to pick up some rudimentary knowledge." 

"I couldn't even find this other than the hint that it existed." The room is absolutely silent. "Why is this being hidden and why go to such lengths?" 

Marinette's face hardens. She's been on edge knowing Tim has been in her space without her supervision and it's exhausting keeping him in the dark.

All three Waynes feel her mood shift as it darkens. There will likely be a lot to talk about around the debriefing table tonight.

"Maybe you should be asking yourself what will happen to you if you learn too much."

-

"She's hiding something." Surprisingly Dick is the first to say it out loud. They've all watched the movie - which was frankly ridiculous. 

"Marinette deflects every time we even get near the subject. And she practically threatened Tim yesterday." 

"Tt. So what do we do?" Damian asks and he's not even sure what she might be hiding.

Bruce finally speaks up on the subject. "We wait. She said she'd tell Tim what she knows. I know she won't tell him everything but maybe she'll give us something."

"In the meantime we have reports of an Arkham escape." Tim starts and they move on to something more pressing.

\----

Multimouse is sitting on top of a roof, hidden in the deep shadows. She'd heard that the bats were chasing someone who escaped from Arkham the last few nights. And while she'd rather not meet any of them, vigilante or villain, the possibility of seeing them in action is too much to pass up.

She catches sight of the vigilantes soaring across the rooftops and it makes her giddy with excitement to see them. Multimouse is on her tiptoes trying to catch every glimpse she can.

Suddenly, someone kicks her right knee and she crumbles to the rooftop. They try to pin her to ground but she manages to get her feet to their chest and kick them off. It doesn't give her much time but she rolls into a crouch and prepares to multiply if she has too. 

Her assailant turns out to be Robin and she starts to feel a small amout of relief. But then he comes at her again and it's apparent she does not know enough hand to hand combat to go against him.

Within minutes he has her pinned to wall of the rooftop staircase. His grip on his her wrists is painful as he holds them up next to her head. Multimouse is short and she's looking directly at his collar where his cape is clasped.

The only vigilante more volatile than Robin is Red Hood. So she supposes she should be grateful it's not him or a villain.

"Who are you?" His voice is deep and menacing. She starts to feel a small amount of fear and begins trying to twist out of his grasp. In desperation she thinks to knee him in the groin but he expects it and wedges his leg between hers. 

"Who. Are. You?" 

"No one really. I just wanted to catch a glimpse of Batman. I'm not looking to interfere or cause trouble." Multimouse can feel her head spinning from her hyperventilating and begins trying to steady her breath. 

"That's not an answer." He moves closer and is practically crushing her to the wall with his weight. His knee presses hard into the inside of her thigh and it's painful. She sucks in a lung full of air and is surprised that Robin smells familiar.

"Please. Your hurting me and I can't think."

He leans his head down trying to look in her eyes and she realizes his hood has fallen. "Perhaps you shouldn't be out here then." 

Fuck. She cannot think anything more clearly than that. He looks so much like Damian, especially when someone is insulting his intelligence.

Robin watches as her face goes from pink to red to scarlet and her freckles practically disappear in her blush. Those deep blue eyes were impossibly large and shining. He finally notices she is hyperventilating.

When Robin backs up slightly, only enough to stop crushing her, she exhales and her eyes flutter. He's torn between being worried about her and concerned about giving her the upper hand.

"Your name." He demands.

"Mar- Multimouse. My name is Multimouse." She says quietly.

"Why are you here?" He consciously keeps his grip tight on her wrists.

"I'm - I'm here as a-a-a civilian."

"Where are you from?"

"Europe." She hopes it's enough but then he goes back to crushing her leg and the knee he kicked is starting to throb. Multimouse hisses in pain.

"Paris. I'm from Paris." 

It's got to be a coincidence. A hero from Paris, close to Marinette's place, who looks like her. Robin has the scary thought that he might have Marinette pinned to the wall and in pain. He feels sick. It's enough to make him release her abruptly.

Multimouse stumbles forward and Robin puts his hands on her shoulders to steady her.

"The force I used was unnecessary but you should not be out at this time." He feels bad but on the off chance it's not Marinette he won't apologize.

"You're right. It's just been so long since I've been in a suit or seen any really fighting that I let my emotions get the best of me. But your aggression was unwarranted." She finally straightens and he pulls his hands away and crosses his arms.

"Tt. We'll be looking into your claim of being from Paris. If we can't verify you I'll be just as forceful next time." 

Robin warns as he focuses on the details of her suit. It's grey and pink and she has a tail that looks like a jump rope. Her dark hair is up in two buns that look like ears and a weird necklace. She's really committed to the theme.

He feels even more like an ass when he can't see any weapons.

"You won't find anything, especially on me. And you won't be seeing me again." She sprints away and immediately multiplies when she is out of his sight. He rushes past her small copies and curses loudly when he can't see her anywhere.

\----

Marinette pushes herself into overdrive. At first her excuse is to finish Chloe's jacket. Then it's extra practice for the Siren's match in Metropolis. And then there are the other commissions. The most frustrating is figuring out what to do with the miracle box while she goes to Metropolis this week.

She could skip it, like she did during the semester, but she doesn't really have an excuse.

And she also promised to tell Tim what she knew. 

"What do I do Wayzz?" Marinette has reached a high freak out level.

"You are one of the most creative Guardians I have ever worked with. I know you will think of something." Wayzz tells the back of her head, as she's face down in her bed. 

"I'm just lucky Damain agreed to take me to Metropolis and not anyone else." Damian is less likely to pressure her for information. And they get to spend more time together.

"He is the one you are romantically interested in, correct?" It's not really a question.

She whimpers pathetically because they work well as friends and he does not appear interested in her. But the most terrifying thought is returning to the stuttering, clumsy version of herself. 

\--------

Metropolis is bright and busy and beautiful. They don't arrive until early evening but there will be time tomorrow before the match.

Harley had been sad when Marinette said she was riding with Damian and that she would be rooming by herself. But then she started calling them lovebirds and making insinuating jokes.

Suddenly Damian's hand is on her forehead. "Are you feeling alright?" Bless him, he's so concerned.

"I- I'm fine. Really. Just remembering something Harley said." Marinette tries to deflect but then he frowns. "It's nothing bad just embarrassing!"

"Tt. Well try and get some sleep." After this he closes his hotel room door.

Predictably, Marinette enters her own room and puts her face into a pillow to scream.

\-----

The roller derby track in Metropolis is a banked track and the team spends an hour in the afternoon skating on it to adjust. 

The Killjoys are a stellar team and they seem to reflect their city, which makes sense. Gotham has several teams and they're known for being unapologetically loud and bloody. The Crushers from New York are proud and brutal.

This team is efficient and high energy. It's easy to wear the other teams out and beat them through speed.

In anticipation of this tactic Harley saves Lady Bruiser for the second half. She hopes the Killjoys will have lost some of the opening energy and that they can make up any lost points.

From her seat in the middle of the track Marinette can see Damian in the crowd. She can see a tall young man standing next to him, looking vaguely shocked to be there. 

She remembers Damian mentioning that he has a friend, Jon, that lives on the outskirts of the city and that he might come see the match. Marinette waves, and while some of the crowd wave back Damian knows it's for them. Jon smiles and waves wildly while Damian simple quirks his lips.  
\--  
Jon brings his hand down as the girl looks away. "Dick wasn't exaggerating when he said she's pretty! She's absolutely adorable!"

"Tt. Yeah, I know." Damian grumbles and shoves his hands in his pockets. Jon stares at him with his mouth open.

"You like her. You like like her. Oh my God." He starts to laugh until Damian punches him. He just laughs harder and they watch her line up next to the Killjoys jammer.

The first whistle blows and the pack takes off, then the second whistle sounds and the jammers follow them. Jon doesn't really see the point of it all but it's fun to watch. 

Marinette, Lady Bruiser, is extremely fast. He's impressed and enjoys watching Damain watch her. He sees him tense when she gets hit and subtly smiles when she scores points or lands a hit.

They both frown when she gets hip checked and her right knee gives out. She gets right back up like nothing happened but...

"I know it's not exactly right, but is her knee okay, Jon?" Damian must be really worried if he asked him to x-ray her.

"Her knee looks fine. But she's definitely had some serious injuries before. A lot of them, actually. Like your level of injuries." Jon frowns again. "She also has something hidden in her belt and I can't tell what it's made of."

He turns to Damian and sees him deep in thought. There must be something going on and hopefully he'll explain later.

Jon's still learning to refine most of his... abilities. The level of noise and excitement is starting to put him on edge. Damain warned him what it would be like and that he should absolutely leave if it becomes too much. 

Jon still feels in control but he excuses himself and waits out by Damian's car. Even if he can't see the match he can hear the announcer crystal clear.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette realizes that dodging questions doesn't make them go away. People just ask more.

Marinette really likes Jon. He's energetic, inquisitive, and she suspects he's a bit of a trouble maker. It makes her think of Chat Noir, before discovering Hawkmoth's identity.

They've found one of those trendy late night eateries that serve vegan and vegetarian options.

Not surprisingly, Jon picks up on her melancholy. Damian would usually try to trick her into talking about it - Jon just asks.

"You seem a little sad, Marinette. Do you want me to go so you can have some alone time with Damian?" He even wiggles his eyebrows like Chat. It's silly enough that she doesn't feel embarrassed.

"Tt. Don't be stupid." Damian says but they all know he's the one embarrassed.

"No, I like you. You just remind me of someone from home." She tries to give them a happy smile but fails.

"Do you want to talk about it?" 

She stops to think about it. Does she want to talk about it? Maybe a little.

"There's not a whole lot to tell. He was my best friend for many years but after high school we had to go our separate ways. It's hard to keep up with someone whose life is vastly different from your own." She has start eating again or she'll steam roll right into trouble.

"Why should that matter? Jon and I don't lead the same kind of lives." Damian asks. Jon looks like he wants to disagree before getting a kick in the shin.

"Ah, well, Adrien Agreste is on an unreachable level..." She sighs more than says the last bit. The truth is he doesn't remember being her best friend. And you can't keep a relationship with someone who remembers a different life than your own.

"The name is familiar but that still doesn't explain anything." Damian comments and he has the expression of someone who wants to have a debate about it.

"It's fine guys. I have you, Cass, your brothers, and now Jon! I like it this way!"

\---

Marinette returns from Metropolis exhausted. She's had to ice her knee after taking a few hits and Damian is overly concerned any time she showed discomfort.

The first thing Marinette does is check the miracle box. She purchased a hope chest from a nearby antique store and altered it in a similar way to her old diary box. Everything is safe and how she left it, including the grimoire, so she returns Kaalki to the box.

After that she enjoys being alone in the quiet of her apartment and spends time meditating with Wayzz. The week had been stressful between Tim and Robin and the match.

But she will have dinner at the manor tomorrow night which means talking to Tim. This is what preoccupies her all night and well into the next day.

Before dinner she puts the turtle miraculous away and pulls out the mouse. It's habit at this point and she doesn't think much of it. 

\----

Everytime the manor door opens it's inhabitants are happy to see her. Sometimes it makes her want to cry with all the emotions she feels.

Alfred is the first to get a hug and a smile. 

"Jason!" She shouts and runs and jumps to hug him tightly. 

"Hey LB! It's good to see you. I hope Demon Spawn was nice to you on your trip." They're both laughing and Jason tries to pry her away.

"He's always nice, I don't know why you worry." She says as Jason gives up and hugs her back with more strength. "I missed you."

"Me too, LB." He says into her hair.

"My turn!" Dick is in the entryway and scoops her up the second Jason let's go. "I heard your match was awesome!" 

"I'm sure Damian didn't say awesome, Dick."

"No but Jon did. What'd you think of him?" Dick answers. Cass wedges herself between them and the girls waddle towards the dinning room as they refuse to let go.

"I really like him! I'm glad Damian has someone so light hearted in his life." Cass only lets go of Marinette so Tim can hug her too.

"You've forgotten to include yourself, Mari. You're just as bright as Jon." Tim says and they don't hug as long as the others but she's not offended.

"Tt. Let the poor girl breath." Damian cuts in. Marinette looks up at him and he gives her a small nod. She hugs him now that he's given her consent. He's weird like that but she doesn't really notice anymore. 

"Hello, Marinette. It is great to see you again." Bruce is as charming as ever as he gives her a brief hug.

"It's good to see you as well." She beams.

Dinner is loud as there are multiple conversations being held. Marinette does not miss the soft expression Bruce has as he watches them all. She admires him for building such a family.

Eventually the table quiets and Marinette decides to start the real conversation for the evening.

"So, what'd you think of the movie?"

"You weren't kidding about it being for kids. How much of it is true?" Tim asks and she fights the impulse to finger the mouse miraculous around her neck. 

"Hawkmoth was able to sense people's emotions. He sought after individuals who were experiencing negative emotions strongly enough - they were more easily manipulated. 

"One of my classmates was the first akuma, Stoneheart." She pauses and they assume she's remembering the fear of seeing her friend transformed. In reality she's remembering her failure, her first failure as Ladybug.

"How old were Ladybug and Chat Noir?" Jason asks as this is the information that bothered him the most.

"They were 13." She catches herself. "I think they were 13. Alya, the Ladyblogger believed Ladybug went to our school."

"Who gives superpowers to a couple of teenagers? Did they at least have a mentor, someone to help?" Dick ponders out loud.

"Sometimes there were other heroes but they weren't permanent. I believe there was someone but when the backup heroes had their identities exposed to Hawkmoth they disappeared too." 

The table is silent and Alfred clears it for dessert. 

"Did you ever hear where the jewelry that gave them their powers, the miraculous, came from?" Tim asks this next question. 

"Not really. I'm sure you've read through the Ladyblog. There are all kinds of theories there. I'm sorry there is only so much I can tell you." Which is the truth. "What else do you want to know?"

"Careful there, LB, if you let Tim ask anything we'll be here all night." Jason jokes and Tim glares at him. It does look like he has a list in his hand.

"How many miraculi are there?" 

"Hmm." She starts counting off the ones that were seen but avoids naming them. "11, I think. There might be others they never made the news."

Mercy, Tim does have a list. He looks down and then back up after he's read the next question.

"Has Chloe ever talked to you about being Queen Bee?"

"Only a little. Chloe...she bullied me when we were younger and we weren't friends until later on. After her last akumatization our class turned against her. I mean, she was always rude, but a lot of them became aggressive."

Of course Marinette made a school bully one of her best friends. "Why would they do that?" 

"Some of them had been temporary heroes that had been exposed and they blamed her. It didn't help that there was a student who was a master manipulator. She couldn't stand not being the center of attention and it was too easy to tell them what they wanted to hear."

Damian is surprised how mad she looks. Her eyes are staring at the creme brulee Alfred had made like it had personally wronged her. 

"Was she named Lila Rossi? The one who claimed to be Ladybug's best friend." 

Marinette makes a disgusted noise." Anything with her name on it you can pretty much rule out as a lie." She says something under breath and Cass give a soft laugh.

"So you don't think the heroes kept their miraculous?" Tim tries to redirect the conversation.

"No. Chloe said Ladybug gave her the bee miraculous and that she had to return after the akuma was purified." 

"So if the person who gave them their miraculous disappeared did Ladybug and Chat Noir keep theirs after all this time?" Bruce ponders out loud.

"Did Hawkmoth get what he wanted or did the heroes win?" Tim presses.

"I don't think we'll ever know." Marinette shrugs dejectedly. The truth is neither outcome and it's another one of her failures.

They move on from the subject after that. Marinette looks angry and depressed. So Jason and Damian start bickering and Cass told her she had a new hiding place.

Marinette does not want to talk about Lila Rossi. It would probably just make the snake appear to take this away too.

-

For the first time someone other than Alfred took her home. Jason offered a ride on his motorcycle and no she couldn't drive it. Everyone said goodnight and Damian waited with her while Jason brought the bike around. 

She is still a little down and he wants to change that. He steadies himself and pulls her into a long hug. Marinette is a cuddler but she is also mindful of his personal space and he knows how happy it would make her to keep prolonged contact.

Slowly he feels some tension leave her body and at first it's nice. But then he thinks about the familiar necklace she's wearing and he feels sick again. He had hurt her. Sure he didn't know it was Marinette at the time but he still did it.

Damian desperately wants to apologize but now is not the time.

"Thank you so much, Damian. I know you're putting my comfort above yours and I don't want to be selfish..."

"But you need it. It's ok, Marinette." 

With that she takes it as permission to hug him more fully and he's surprised how pleasant it feels. Her arms are around his chest, hands gently fisted in his shirt at his back, with her head buried in his shoulder. 

Damian isn't holding her as tightly but one arm is wrapped all the way around her shoulders. The other is holding her waist and his hand resting in the small of her back is rubbing circles. He rests his cheek on top of her head and breathes her in.

As she relaxes even further into him Damian knows he's in trouble. Not only does he know she's Multimouse, and the necklace is likely a miraculous, but he hurt her and owes her an apology. Then he has tell his father he believes she's the poor girl he practically assaulted. And he might be falling in love with her. Maybe.

He's so screwed.   
-  
Jason is livid when he tells them about Marinette and Damian can't really blame him.

At least it helps them understand why she's so skittish when the subject comes up. An undertrained hero in a dangerous city, who likely doesn't know what happened or who to trust.

But maybe they can help. If she'd just talk about it.  
\----

Marinette sleeps deeply that night but dreams of Chat Blanc. He holds her down and tries to take her earrings. She hears him talk manically about how their love ended the world. Suddenly she feels a sharp pain in her knee and it's Robin, not Chat, looming over her. He's not trying to take her miraculous but he's demanding to know where Marinette has gone.

She wakes up slowly in the morning and decides to take the day off from everything, starting with going to a cafe for breakfast. 

Now that it's warm out, the beginning of July, Marinette decides to wear some of the floral summer dresses she has. There are a few that she's made but the one she wears today is a soft pink with small red poppies. She adds some sheer leggings and white biking shorts - it's Gotham after all.

She adds a light wash denim jacket that has a special pocket seen in for Mullo, or any kwami. When she's done dressing she heads over to the balcony to put her plants back out in the sun. She's surprised to see a new plant already there. It's a small strawberry plant in a special pot and a small note hidden underneath.

"Please tell MM I'm deeply sorry. - R"

Shit. 

Marinette decides to shelve that freakout for later, after the one she'll have about her dream. In the meantime she puts her grey ankle boots on, grabs her bag with a sketchbook and Mullo's snacks in it, and locks her front door.

Dreaming about Chat Blanc made everything that happened feel real again. She had gotten used to thinking of her time as Ladybug as something that happened to someone else. 

Marinette realized how foolish she'd been in refusing to talk about it. It's not like the Waynes could actually do anything with the information. And they're good people she thinks. They wouldn't go looking for the missing miraculous.

The more she played dumb the more they'd press for answers. Maybe confiding just a little in them would help.

An hour later she's enjoying a rare cappuccino in the cafe she originally met Tim in when Dick and Damian enter. They order and come sit with her.

"We didn't expect to see you, Sunshine. We figured you'd be elbow deep in one of your commissions." Dick says with a big smile.

"I needed a day off, actually. I didn't sleep very well and I have plenty of time to work on them." She turns to Damian who is still wearing his sunglasses. "Are you alright?"

"Tt. I'm fine. Thank you." He sounds so grumpy.

Marinette raises her eyebrow and looks to Dick for some explanation. Dick just looks at Damian. He lets out a big sigh and lowers his sunglasses but doesn't take them off. He's got a black eye. 

As she gapes at him as he puts the glasses back on and Dick walks away to grab their drinks.

"What happened?" She wants to reach out and grab his face so she can get a proper look but stops herself.

"Jason." He answers on a sigh. "We had a disagreement we couldn't resolve civilly." He thanks Dick when he returns.

She can see he's telling the truth but it's hard not to interrogate him. It's not the first injury any of the Waynes have sported at the hands of another.

It's true that Jason hit him. After telling the team about Multimouse and his belief that it was Marinette Jason had come at him. Damian didn't fight back and Jason took that as proof of his remorse. But he didn't pull his punch either.

He had already been scolded about using unnecessary force after it first happened. But everyone was so edgy with the breakout that it had been pushed to the side.

Dick cuts in before Marinette can ask more questions. "What do you have planned for the day?"

"I was just going to relax, to be honest. I thought about going to a nearby park to sketch." She shrugs.

"Maybe you two can go together! I have to get to work. It's good to see, Sunshine." Dick gives her a side hug and leaves the cafe. 

They're both quiet as they finish their drinks. 

"Do you mind if I join you in the park?" For some reason he sounds unsure. In all the time she's known him Damian has never been unsure.

"I'd love it if you came with me!" 

\---

Damian feels terrible. The moment he realized how he feels and that she might understand his secret identity he's been in turmoil. He's never really felt remorse for hurting someone but he does now. He hurt her and scared her when all he wants is to protect her and love her. 

Bruce agreed that once they verify her identity as Multimouse Damian could tell her he's Robin. Marinette will probably connect all the dots for the rest of them soon after. 

But leaving a possible villain on the loose is dangerous and there are so many unknowns. 

\--

Damian feels extremely content. He's sitting in the grass at the park they walked to and Marinette has her head in his lap. She abandoned sketching in favor of talking with him. She looks so happy compared to this morning. 

He's attempting to find a way to gently bring up Multimouse but he's awful at small talk. 

"Your necklace is beautiful. It's one you've worn before right?" 

"Yes. It's kind of an heirloom. A family friend gave it to me shortly before he passed away." She sounds so casual he almost believes it. And maybe it is true, the miraculous was likely given to her by Ladybug's mentor and it's precious, like an heirloom.

"It suits you." Is all he can find to say.

She smiles up at him. "Thank you!"

His heart starts sinking again but before it falls to far she lifts it up again. It's that damn smile she gives him. He thinks about what Dick said, that it was worth trying.

"Hey Marinette?"

"Hmm."

"Will you go on a date with me?"

She sits up and grins. "I thought you'd never ask. I'd love to Damian!" He smiles back at her. "Can we go right now?"

"On a date?"

"Of course! All it really means is spending time together with romantic intentions."

"Sure, we can go now. What do you have in mind?" He asks and runs his fingers through her hair.

"Exactly what we're doing." And she promptly lays back down and grins up at him. "But maybe now you'll kiss me after you walk me home."

"Maybe I will." And he goes back to stroking her hair. He thinks about kissing her but the thought is interrupted by the memory of the fear in her eyes as pinned her to a wall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading ❤️


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the author attempts to write romance.
> 
> I thought this was a roller derby story.

Damian walks her home in the early afternoon. They hold hands and she feels like she is exactly where she's supposed to be. 

Every since Master Fu left she's felt alone. Chat Noir, Adrien, was always there for her and later when he couldn't Chloe was there. Her parents are wonderful and supportive and they believed her moving to Gotham would help. They weren't wrong.

Marinette pulls out her keys and goes to unlock her door but Damian puts a hand on wrist to stop her. She turns to look at him and freezes. He brings one hand up to her cheek and the other to gently cup the back her neck. He starts leaning in and Marinette closes her eyes. He brushes his nose against hers and she can feel his breath ghosting across cheek. He gently kisses each cheek and pulls away.

She slowly opens her eyes only to see him looking at her with a strange expression. "I'll see tomorrow, Marinette." 

\---

When Marinette goes to put her plants out the next morning there is another new one waiting for her. 

She contemplates telling Damian but that would bring up questions she can't answer. And she forgets all about it when he takes her out for dinner.

It's easy to overlook the fact that the Waynes are rich and relatively famous. Add to it the fact that most of Bruce's children do not make public appearances. One of the last outings ended in abduction and a ransom.

He's reserved a secluded table in one of the fanciest restaurants Marinette has ever seen. If she wasn't a fashion designer she'd be worried about looking out of place.

Damian still gets recognized on their way out but his "Ice Prince" reputation keeps people at a distance. Again he only kisses her on the cheek and she assumes Dick has told him to romance her before that can happen.

The next morning Marinette finds that instead of a potted plant there is a new set of woodless graphite pencils and a large sketchpad. 

She wonders if the peace offerings will keep going or if Multimouse should make an appearance so he can apologize properly. But she did say he'd never see her again.

The week continues and the gifts left are nice but not too personal.

Damian continues to spend more time with her and relaxes around her more. By the end of the week she stops asking to hold his hand and just takes it. He's only pulled away once and that was to open a door for her - his other arm was occupied by bags of fabric.

\--

The Sirens don't have a match that Friday night but Jason and Damian go with her to watch the Brawerls and the Vigilantes.

They manage to stand right up against the boards and once the place starts filling with people Damian stands behind Marinette and braces his hands on the railing, keeping people at a distance. He feels like a hypocrite but he won't let anyone hurt her.

He doesn't particular enjoy being in any crowd. There are many variables but he was brought up to work through the things that make him uncomfortable. And it's worth it to see Marinette enjoy herself.

He and Jason get the benefit of having her explain the different strategies and random trivia. 

But shortly after the second half starts they hear sirens. The warehouse was so full that night that the fire marshall was called and the game was cancelled. They manage to slip out with ease and end up going to eat.

Up until Marinette Damian didn't spend much time with his brothers, at least not outside of the mask. But now he does. She feels like the glue that holds them all together. Bruce brought them together and made them a family and a team. Now Marinette makes them harmonious.

-  
It's been two weeks and Damian still hasn't kissed her.

\---

Red Robin and Red Hood pass Marinette's apartment during patrol and Red Hood contemplates dropping in.

The plan was to draw her back out as Multimouse to talk to Robin or to get Marinette to slip up with one of them. But maybe they can talk to her now.

They're both standing on her balcony before it's been given much thought. Her dark curtains are mostly drawn but there is light coming from her kitchen window. 

Marinette scares both of them when she sweeps the curtains aside and opens the balcony door. She giving them her best glare.

"Either come in or leave you two. I don't think having vigilantes lurking on my balcony is very safe." 

"Uh, right."  
"Yeah, of course."

They come inside and try to pretend that they've never been before. It's hard not to just start rummaging through her fridge or asking about her commissions. She makes them sit down in the kitchen and immediately starts making coffee.

"Sweet or savory?"

"What?" Red Robin asks. She's so no nonsense and bossy right now. He's used to her being competitive and demanding but that's when they play videogames.

She gives a beleaguered sigh. "Do you want a sweet pastry or savory one?"

"Sweet." Red Hood says it excitedly as he can see the gibassiers on the counter. Red Robin says it like she might poison him.

"Good." She sets everything down on the table and sits too. "Now, to what do I owe this pleasurable visit?" Marinette is channeling her Ladybug confidence, which has grown to be her Guardian cloak.

"We want to apologize for Robin." Red Hood says as he removes is outer mask and takes a bite of his pastry.

"He's been trying to apologize too but he's not the best at it." Red Robin confirms.

She didn't exactly expect this. The vigilantes are rough and hard working and they have to be - it's Gotham. Ladybug herself had to put a few civilians (Alya) in line when they were endangering themselves.

"Well, I'll consider forgiving him but only if you tell me how he figured out my identity."

"You would forgive him? Just like that?" Red Hood says surprised.

"I won't forget how unnecessary his methods were but I understand trying to inspire common sense in people who put themselves in danger." Marinette says magnanimously. "I also reserve the right to deck him. So, how did he figure me out?"

The vigilantes exchange a hesitant look.

Red Robin chooses to answer. "We can't really say right- hold on, let me finish." She had opened her mouth to argue. "We can't say right now. But we want to help you and if you agree we can tell you."

"What makes you think I need help?"

"You're vulnerable and in Gotham that's a death sentence for heroes."

"I don't intend to be a hero here. It was a mistake." Will she always regret her impulsive moment?

"We appreciate that but we also couldn't find anything solid on the heroes in Paris and what we could find was concerning." Red Hood starts to explain until Red Robin butts in, like he does.

"Your enemy and your allies just disappeared one day. We want to help you find out what happened and train you to fight."

Marinette chews her lip. They're giving her a lot of valuable resources. Batman and his team are the best known detectives and she'd be learning to fight from some of the best in the field. They already know one of her identities but there must be some kind of catch.

"What's the catch?" She finally asks and, holy cow, Red Robin finished his coffee fast.

"The catch? We want to help."

She raises her eyebrow at him. "You expect me to believe that you get nothing out of this? You want to help me from the goodness of your hearts?"

Red Robin and Red Hood exchange another look.

"We don't like having an unknown element out there. You're here in Gotham, so what if Hawkmoth follows you here. What if Ladybug and Chat Noir don't show up?" And she's practically one of them now. Even if Damian screws up Jason will always be her brother. They take care of their own.

She sighs.They have a point and one she's thought about before. Having a Hawkmoth in Gotham would be terrifying. Gabriel seemed to restrict himself to average civilians. What if Bane or, kwami forbid, the Joker were to be akumarized.

It's in both their best interests to work together.

"I'd like to speak to Batman before I decide." Marinette tells them with finality.

"That can be arranged. We'll be in contact." They both get up to leave but not before Red Hood steals another gibassier. 

"Thank you, Marinette." Red Robin sincerely says.

For a moment she thinks Red Hood starts to hug her but stops himself. He ends up giving her an awkward pat on the shoulder.

"Yeah, thanks, LB!"

....

"What?!"

"Ah, shit."  
\---  
Before she can spiral into a full freakout session Robin appears on her balcony. 

Red Hood and Red Robin, or rather Jason and Tim, excuse themselves. Damian waits until she invites him in. This is not the way he wanted her to find out. Damn Jason and his big mouth.

He puts his hood down and removes his comm before taking a deep breath. "I'm really sorry, Marinette."

She's just standing there staring at him.

"The moment I realized you were Multimouse I felt sick. It's been torture not to tell you and apologize. I hope you can forgive me."

He can't quite meet her eyes and she's frustrated that she can't see his at all.

She sighs and walks over to close her curtains all the way. She comes back and stands close to him. Marinette reaches up to touch his mask and waits for his permission to remove it. He gives it, of course.

She pulls it away and looks into those green eyes she loves so much.

"I'm sorry." He says quietly and she can finally see in his eyes how much he means it.

"Is that why Jason punched you?"

"Yes." 

She only backs up enough to be able to see his face fully and she crosses her arms.

"You let him punch you." It's not a question.

"Yes." He waits to see if she'll say anything more but the silence just continues to stretch. "I - I was raised to hurt people...to kill. It was only after meeting my father that I began to understand."

Damian hates how she just stands there and waits. He'd rather be slapped.

"I still hurt people with little remorse. It's not something I particularly like about myself but it is part of me." 

He has to meet her eyes so he has no idea what she might be feeling. He knows that striking first and hard can mean a life or death difference, especially in Gotham, but she doesn't need him to stand here and give a monologue. So he finally meets her eyes.

"Please forgive me, Marinette. I never meant to hurt you."

The air leaves his lungs in relief as she hugs him. Damian wraps his arms around her and feels like the luckiest bastard.

"I forgive you. I'm still in shock, though, so I reserve the right to be mad later." She says into his chest.

"I would expect nothing less." 

They stay like that for a while. He removes his gloves so he can stroke her hair. Eventually she moves her head so she can look up at him. He gives her a soft expression and brushes her hair behind her ear. 

He watches her eyes flick to his lips and back to his eyes. Damian promised himself he wouldn't kiss her until she knew. Not only does she know but she's mostly forgiven him. So he leans down slowly, giving her time to move away, and kisses her softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading ❤️


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The necessary Miraculous conversation
> 
> *This chapter was copied twice when I first posted it. I corrected it but I don't think it'll update right away. Thank you for letting me know!*

The dinner table is tense the next night. The agreement seems to be that they will talk about things after the meal. Trying to make conversation when everyone has one thing on their minds is hard.

Dick is the one who manages to distract them, though, at Damian and Marinette's expense.

"So, Sunshine, is Damian a good kisser?"

"Tt. Why would you want to know that?"

"It's part of my responsibilities as your older brother. I don't want you disappointing our girl!"

Marinette's face is on fire. "You have nothing to worry about Dick!"

"That means I have a whole lot to worry about!" Jason exclaims and it looks like he's just realized what that might entail. He whips his around to look at Bruce. "Have you given him the talk, B?" 

Several people cough or try to keep from spitting their food out.

"How do you manage to be so idiotic and uncouth!" Damian can feel the heat in his cheeks but knows it's not easy to see. Small mercies.

"This is not a discussion to have at the table or in front of a guest, Jason." Bruce says and he looks so uncomfortable but mostly in regards to the subject, not the company. Marinette doesn't see how that could be, though. He raised, more or less, four boys.

-  
Eventually, dinner does end and Damian takes Marinette's hand to guide her down to the batcave. Tim sits at the large console and begins opening files that may be relevant. Just looking at the computer makes her glad that magic is on her side.

She and Wayzz has talked well into the early morning. After their conversation Marinette needed to talk to Tikki and Plagg. Tikki was her best friend for so many years and she still is - but they can't talk everyday.

Marinette starts and she'll be sharing information they all agreed on.

"I will tell you what I know about the miraculous first as I imagine that will answer most of your questions." Marinette says and when she starts the next part she knows she's using her Guardian voice. 

"The miraculous were made from concepts or ideas that exist in the universe when they become tethered to the material world. When the concept was made a small god, a kwami, appeared. In their gratitude to being made corporeal they grant a human their powers through the miraculous." She holds up her hand to stop Tim. "I will show you later.

"What I found out later was that the ladybug and black cat miraculous are the most powerful. The ladybug is creation and good fortune while the black cat is destruction and misfortune. They are yin and yang and represent the ultimate balance of the universe.

"Therefore they can only be wielded in tandem or else chaos ensues. The reason Hawkmoth sought them was because they can be used to make a wish. Any wish. But it comes at a price."

Marinette pauses here and is startled to hear someone speak. "What is the cost of making a wish?" Bruce asks.

She takes a deep breath and starts again. "I can't say exactly. The miraculous will always strive to maintain balance. If someone wishes to cure a loved one of an illness a epidemic may be created. If a wish is made to bring someone back from the dead it could restore their body but corrupt the mind." 

Marinette shrugs and misses the shiver that goes around the room. They're all reminded of the Lazarus Pit. "I have been informed, from a dubious source (Plagg), that Atlantis sank because the king wished to keep his people safe from war and drought."

"These are all examples of wishes that seem good and beneficial and by proxy there must be destruction to keep the scales even. What would happen if the wish was nefarious?" Tim asks, ever the puzzler.

"I don't know." She answers honestly. The room is silent except for the echoes of Tim's typing. Marinette is grateful Damian is still holding her hand, his thumb gently stroking her knuckles.

"Why would someone expose those two miraculous if they're so powerful? Why not have other miraculous take care of Hawkmoth? Jason asks.

"Ladybug is the only one with the power to purify an akuma. A ladybug holder must be present to heal the damage." She answers as this was the one thing that never made complete sense. Why have a lesser miraculous that can only be aided or defeated by the ladybug?

"So, what happened to the heroes and Hawkmoth?" Bruce prompts. This part will be harder to explain as she'll be trying to keep her role as Ladybug and the Guardian a secret. Marinette would rather tell them everything.

"I was allowed to keep the mouse miraculous as my identity was only known to Ladybug and Chat Noir. I wasn't called to an akuma battle very often and when I was I didn't usually fight." She really did hate lying like this.

"Ladybug came to see me one day... She said she had strong evidence and that they were going to confront Hawkmoth.They wanted to do it before another akuma appeared."

The cave is quiet now. Master Fu had always stressed that keeping her identity secret was the most important thing. Chloe knows because she was instrumental in retrieving the peacock and the grimoire. And now she keeps an eye on Gabriel and Adrien.

Still, Marinette would prefer to tell them everything.

She takes a deep breath. "And then they were gone. I've always assumed that at least Hawkmoth didn't get the miraculous. I think we'd notice."

Marinette looks around the room. Everyone appears deep in thought and the only one really looking at her is Jason. He's glaring at her.

"What?"

"I can't believe you thought it would be ok to go out in a costume while we were chasing an escapee from Arkham." 

She glares back at him. "I admitted it was a mistake and getting mad now won't change anything."

"I have one more question." Bruce cuts in. "If Ladybug won why do you still have the mouse miraculous?"

That's the million dollar question isn't it.

"I don't really know." A lie. "It's part of the reason I took a gap year." Kind of. "I waited to see if someone would come back but eventually I had to move on." True. "Ladybug will be able to find me."

Dick sighs heavily. "I suppose there wasn't much else for you to do."

Tim stops typing and turns to look at her. "So, to summarize, there are two powerful objects somewhere in the world, presumably still in the hands of the heroes, we don't know Hawkmoth's identity or if he was actually defeated, we don't know Ladybug or Chat Noir's identity, and don't know where they are."

Marinette wrinkles are nose in thought. "That about sums it up."

Everyone was hoping that she would have more tangible information. A lead or a feeling or something. And while they know more now the information just makes it more apparent something must be done.

"So, what kind of powers do you have?" Dick breaks the silence and she's relieved that they can move into less dangerous territory.

Marinette grins and let's go of Damian's hand. As she opens her denim jacket she says "I would like to introduce you all to Mullo. Mullo is the kwami of multiplication!" A small floating mouse emerges from a hidden pocket.

"Hello everyone! I'm glad the Guar- I mean Marinette has such wonderful news friends!" The kwami floats around them and is not at all surprised by their shocked faces.

"Mullo, are you ready?"

"Yes, Marinette!"

"Mullo! Get Squeaky!" Their shock compounds as she is covered in a bright flash of light. When it fades they see Multimouse just how Damian described her.

"I didn't think you get get any cuter?" Dick says into the stunned silence.

"What are your capabilities?" Tim wonders.

"In general I have enhanced strength, speed, and agility. I'm invulnerable to most things though I'd rather not test that!" She laughs and it feels so good to be transformed without being in danger. Marinette would still prefer to be Ladybug, though.

"The other heroes had special powers, like Ladybug's lucky charm? What is yours?" Jason asks.

"I can multiply myself, so I can create small clones of myself. Now that I'm over 18 I can keep my transformation for longer after using it." 

"Do you have a weapon at all?" Damian finally brings himself to ask.

"My jump rope?"

"Your...jump rope?" It's clear Jason is already considering teaching how to use a gun.

"Yes, I use it like a whip. Though I've not had a whole lot of practice with it." She says thoughtfully. Marinette has only been Multimouse a handful of times and most of those have been combined with other miraculous. She depends on Multitude more than the jump rope and that's probably not good.

"I think that's it! What now?" She asks.

"Now we get you a real weapon." Jason says.

"Now we teach how to actually fight." Damian argues.

"Now we comb through people living in Paris during those years. Assuming Hawkmoth was someone with time and resources." Tim argues.

"Now we go on patrol." Bruce says, cutting off all chatter. 

"I'd like to go with you. I mean just to get home. It's not wise for me to be out for very long but...I miss it. Please?" Marinette is using all the tricks she knows and no one is surprise when Bruce relents. She said please.

Nightwing, Robin, and Black Bat go on patrol tonight while Tim and Bruce work on compiling the information Marinette had given them. Jason has already disappeared

Before long they're racing across the rooftops. Multimouse loves how expressive Nightwing is with his movements. The sheer amount of momentum he gains impresses her and she knows who she wants to learn from first.

Multimouse hardly sees Black Bat as she's so quiet and fast. This is really no surprise knowing it's Cass.

In contrast, Robin almost seems explosive. Every movement is precise but it's like he's using the maximum amount of.... brutality. His movements are expressive and they're communicating retrained fury.

Black Bat and Nightwing are kind enough to give Robin and Multimouse some privacy. She unlocks her balcony door, Robin is always relieved to see the sturdy locks she's has, and she guides him inside passed the curtains.

They are greeted by the sight of Red Hood lounging on her couch. Marinette pouts and her transformation drops with a huff.

"Get your boots off my couch!" 

"Tt. So this is where you snuck of to." 

"I'm just checking in." He says jovially as he stands up and walks over to them.

Marinette starts pushing him out the door. "Well now you can check out." 

"Fine. I'll leave but make sure you turn off your comm before making out." He shuts the balcony door behind him and they can hear him leave.

They're both awkwardly quiet for possibly the first time since they met.

Robin clears his throat it sounds obscenely loud. "Have you packed for New York yet?" Why is this so hard?

"Mostly. I'm just trying to decide which derby outfit to wear." Why is this so awkward? "Which one do you think?"

Thank goodness she can't see him stare and blink rapidly at her. His brain freezes on the sheer sparkling tights with fishnets over them. Or the mandatory yellow and black Sirens shirt that's a sleeveless crop top and she pairs with red shorts.

"I like all of them." Suddenly, Red Hood sniggers in his ear and Nightwing comments "Not what she meant baby bird."

He forgot all about the comm and quickly removes it. At least Marinette doesn't look uncomfortable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading ❤️


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette's match in New York doesn't go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the maribat fandom so much!
> 
> Sometimes dialogue is really hard to write.  
> I'm sorry this chapter took longer than I like - I have not been in the right head space and I don't want to rush the story.
> 
> The rate of updates will continue to be slow for the time being - finals, holidays, and all that jazz.
> 
> Thank you for reading! ❤️

Marinette, Damian, and Dick make it to New York on Thursday without much issue.

The Crushers also play on a banked track and the Sirens half-heartedly tease Marinette that she should ask her future father-in-law to purchase one for their own skate warehouse. 

Dick is a bit of an anxious disaster watching Marinette skate. He's seen it before but somehow he's more worried now that he knows she's Multimouse. Maybe it's because he's now analyzing her movements and looking for ways to optimize and implement them.

"Somehow I'm not surprised that you like her most modest outfit." Dick says conversationally. Lady Bruiser is wearing is wearing the red tunic that has a reasonably v neck and mostly cover her shorts. The sleeveless arms are covered by her team shirt.

"Tt. What's that supposed to mean?" Damian is busy watching her and Zelda Hitzgerald, the Crushers jammer, trying to hip check each other out of the pack. He wonders how much of her is holding back.

The renegade matches are supposed to help let off the steam skaters can't in regular matches. It makes sense that almost every skater has to hold back every game but does she have extra strength outside of Multimouse?

Hitzgerald didn't get Lady Bruiser down but she did score the points for that circuit. 

"She's having a rough night. I wonder why..." They watch another circuit where she just can't get through the pack and gets checked into the boards. Eventually she is so frustrated she makes a few illegal moves.

Both of them have been mostly quiet the whole match and Dick stiffens when he hears someone in the stands behind him.

"Utterly ridiculous! What is she doing? Marinette is usually ruthless and now she's going easy on them." 

"I don't know, Clo. She's playing how I thought she would when you brought it up." 

Damian stops Dick from turning to look around. "They're a row behind us but to the left several seats. I don't recognize the guy with Chloe."

"He obviously knows Marinette." 

There is a short time out and they see Harley talk to Marinette. They've removed their helmets and Jane and Kitty are trying to convince her of something.

The guy with Chloe starts talking again and Damian gets a better look at him. He's blonde and is obviously good looking or else Chloe wouldn't be seen with him. "Is she alright?" He sounds so concerned.

Damian can't resist from tsking while Chloe scoffs. "She's fine."

Harley and her team come to some kind of agreement and Lady Bruiser takes a blocker position. The first whistle blows and they take off. They don't start checking or blocking until the jammers are almost on them. For some reason the Sirens let both jammers through - they try to knock the Crushers jammer out but not very hard.

When the jammers loop back around Lady Bruiser is in the front with Kitty, then two Crushers, then two Sirens, then two Crushers more or less. Lady Bruiser shouts something and all four Sirens quickly check all four Crushers. This gives their Jammer opportunity to coast through and Stone Cold Jane Austen block Hitzgerald on her attempt to get through.

They run two or three more plays with Lady Bruiser taking the lead and it makes a difference. 

By the time there is a break before the second half Lady Bruiser seems to have recovered from whatever was making her shaky.

"Hey Clo, her outfit reminds me of Ladybug and Chat Noir. Is that on purpose?" The blondes start talking again.

"How should I know, Adrien. She always gets accused of looking like Gotham's Robin and doesn't correct anyone." Chloe says dismissively and he doesn't pursue the subject.

The game starts again and Lady Bruiser hits her stride. She's more foreful with her hip checks and bounces back faster. The Sirens have become an unstoppable force.  
-  
Marinette was not prepared for Chloe's message before the match. Chloe had agreed to go but declined to sit with Damian and Dick for some reason. When Marinette pressed for an answer she immediately regretted it. 

Adrien was in New York and Chloe had spent several days with him. When she brusquely declined an invitation to her favorite restaurant he knew something was up. Despite her best efforts she could not hold out for long - it was Adrien. His eyes lit up like a Christmas tree with excitement when Chloe told him.

Without time to mentally unpack the fact that Adrien, Chat Noir, would be watching her roller derby match she immediately panicked. He would want to see her, spend time with her - the last time that happened she had burst into tears whenever he brought up his father.

After several miserable circuits Harley talked to her. Somehow she always knew what Marinette needed and what she needed right now was to have some control. Harley let her plan and lead the next few plays - it worked like a charm.  
-  
Dick is relieved to see her back to herself but one look at Damian makes him second guess that. "What's on your mind?" 

"Marinette struggling and Chloe being here with a friend aren't separate things. She didn't know Chloe was bringing Adrien and it effected her." Damian says thoughtfully. 

Whoever blondie is he was important to Marinette at some point and he doesn't know how that makes him feel. He was just getting used to sharing hero/vigilante life with her. He was just getting used to possibly maybe loving her.

\--

Lady Bruiser is always popular at the merch booth - petite, French, and an excellent skater to boot. Damian has adjusted to seeing her pose for selfies and sign random memorabilia but he doesn't like it. 

It's only worse now that Chloe and Adrien beat them to the table and have taken up post next to her - in his place. He starts charging over there with the intention of planting himself right next to her.

"Wait, Damian. You need to calm down before you go over there." Dick says and gently puts his hand on his shoulder.

"Tt. I know. I just...want to know what's going on." He says angrily. 

"You know Marinette. You know she'll tell you everything - you just have to wait." Dick wanders off to the Crushers booth to give him some space.

There's a break in fans and Adrien is talking her ear off like an excited puppy dog. Is he the one Jon reminds her of - her once best friend? He sure doesn't seem unreachable.

"Stop glaring and just go over there." Chloe has materialized next to him. Damian doesn't budge as he watches Adrien ask to take a selfie with Marinette. He will not get possessive. He will not. She would not like that behavior.

Chloe is still watching him - poor fool trying very hard to wrangle his possessive nature. "He's not flirting with her and she would appreciate you, her boyfriend, stepping in."

"I'm not her boyfriend." Maybe.

"Yes you are." She huffs and goes back to them.

Damian finally can't take it anymore and joins them. When he Marinette notices she quickly hugs him. "I wondered what happened to you!" She keeps her arm in his as she moves to introduce them.

"Damian, this is one of my friends from Paris Adrien Agreste. Adrien, this is Damian Wayne my -" He cuts her off quickly.

"I'm her boyfriend." He says it as nicely as he can at the moment and shakes the guys hand.

Adrien's eyes light up. "That's so cool, Mari! You guys are cute together!" No, yeah, that's definitely a Jon personality. 

Damian is surprised she still hasn't let go of his hand but instead has a firm grip on it.

"Yes, yes. We can do this over dinner, I'm starving." Chloe sounds bored and starts ushering Adrien away. "Tell Dick the reservation is under my name and dinner is in an hour."

"Dinner?" Marinette echoes and she looks shaken.

"Dinner, Dupain-Cheng. I know you're hungry and we all want to get to know each other." She doesn't have to shove Adrien anymore and he waves jovially as they leave.

"I didn't know we agreed to dinner. When did that happen?" Damian questions and watches Marinette sigh with her whole body.

"Just now. Chloe has stated it and I suspect Dick might have something to do with it." 

"I might have something to do with what?" Dick magically appears at the sound of his name.

"Tt. The fact that we're having dinner with Chloe and Adrien." Damian does not keep the irritation out of his voice.

"Oh, yeah! Adrien said he didn't want to leave the states without getting to spend time with Marinette. I figured this was best." He says and winks at Marinette. She seems more relaxed now.

"Thank you, Dick."

\--

The team packs up quickly and Marinette does her best to clean up before dinner but Chloe didn't give her much time. She still manages to wash off the sweat and remove the drastic eye makeup Harley put on her.

Marinette is grateful Dick and Chloe orchestrated this. Now she won't hurt Adrien's feeling by refusing to spend time with him and she'll have Damian there to support her. She was surprised Damian had held off as long as he did before stepping in. She's still blushing at they way he called himself her boyfriend. 

The restaurant is high-end but blissfully private. Style Queen was still a big name in fashion after all. Marinette had only let go of Damian's hand when she had to and at one point had apologized profusely until he told her it was fine. If Marinette depends on him when she's uncomfortable and scared it's a huge compliment and stroke to his ego.

Chloe and Dick prove to be the conversationalists - without them the table would descend into awkward silence. But eventually there is a break that Adrien takes advantage of.

"What got you into roller derby, Mari? I was surprised when Chloe told me." 

"Uh, well, it mostly just by accident. I ran into Harley Quinn and we got to talking about her roller derby team and I just fell in love with it." Marinette says with a shrug. 

"I can tell you're really amazing at it but it's still hard to fit together. But you're outfit is so cool! Not that that's a surprise." Adrien laughs. "I didn't know you were still just a Ladybug and Chat Noir fan."

Marinette freezes everytime he starts talking and she didn't want to about, well, them. "What makes you say that?"

"The colors of your roller derby outfit. Red, black, and green. I remember when you were in love with Chat Noir." He laughs and Marinette is so uncomfortable.

"I don't know about being in love with him." She hedges and is frantically thinking of a way to change the subject. "Weren't you in love with Ladybug?" Marinette says rather defensively. She wishes she could shove the words back into her mouth - this is worse than talking about his father.

Adrien gets that dreamy look on his face. "Yeah, I really was."

"Everyone was in love with Ladybug." Chloe cuts in and mercifully changes the subject. "I know Adrien will be modeling for Paris Fashion Week but will you be there Marinette?"

"I don't really have the status to be there, Chloe. Besides, I'll have a roller derby match and Uncle Jagged commissioned be for several shirts and a suit." 

"Uncle Jagged? Do you really get to call him Uncle?" Dick asks excitedly.

Marinette blushes. "Yeah, he kept insisting and eventually I gave in. The man will always do things his own way."  
-  
Dick would prefer to get Adrien to talk about the Paris heroes again but everytime he tries Chloe redirects the conversation. 

He'd be super impressed if it wasn't so frustrating. Eventually he's run out of time and they're leaving the restaurant. Maybe it's for the best, though, Damian has been silent, Marinette has been nervous, Adrien seems oblivious to everyone's discomfort - Chloe seems to be her usual self.

"Marinette, can I talk to you for a minute?" Adrien asks and glances at Damian. "Alone." 

If she didn't know him so well she'd say no. He sounds both sincere and concerned it's painful.

"Sure, Adrien." She gives Damian a look and he sighs in defeat as she finally let's go of his hand. "Come on." She pulls Adrien to the side.

"What's wrong?"

"Did I do something to upset you?" He asks and Marinette can still see his cat ears droop. Fuck.

"N-no, Adrien, I promise. It's just hard, you know, after everyone going their separate ways." Marinette flounders and tries to find some real reason to give him.

"I suppose after everything that happened you'd want to forget things." She freezes as he says this. "I know Lila really ruined things between everyone."

"You're right and I'm sorry for making you worry. I'll try to stay in contact, too." She is quick to take the excuse he offers. Lila did make things difficult but blaming her is a little too much. Teenagers can be cruel and Marinette has had her own moments of callousness.

"Perfect!" He gives her a side hug and they move back to the group. Damian and Chloe have obviously been arguing but Dick is laughing so it can't the that bad. Marinette immediately takes Damian's hand again.

"It was really great to meet you! I'm glad our Everyday Ladybug has people to look out for her." He's so sincere and so warm it's unfair that everyone melts a little.

"Yes, it's great and whatever. It's time to go, Adrien, I need to sleep." Chloe says and they part.

"Everyday Ladybug?" Damian asks and is not prepared for Marinette to get sad.

"Yeah. You'll have to ask Chloe - I don't have the energy to talk." She says and yawns.

Damian moves his arm around her and she leans into him. He gives her a kiss after the cab ride to the hotel and is relieved Dick doesn't tease him about it.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With all the discourse on tumblr/twitter I figured I would clarify how I feel about salt and especially Lila. Her relationship with Marinette and the class are pretty standard for teenagers - in my experience. She only becomes despicable when she works with Hawkmoth and aids Gabriel in controlling Adrien's social life.
> 
> I do believe the writers of the show are setting up to make Lila the next Hawkmoth. Timetagger cemented this for me.
> 
> And poor Adrien. I can't see his character arc (in the show) going well at this point. I believe Adrinette/ladynoir is endgame and that it'll be fine. I just want him to be happy.
> 
> As for the class, I don't really find their presented behavior malicious. In high school I lost all of my friends because I dated the 'wrong person'. They felt like I had lied to them about who I was and cut ties. It sucked, I made new friends, I let it go.
> 
> ❤️


End file.
